


The Nekomin Society

by lemon_and_chai



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: M/M, Yuki noncon with strangers, lots of Yuki Fuji Ato smex, slight TezuFuji later, twisted and dark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2018-05-24 23:56:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6171823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemon_and_chai/pseuds/lemon_and_chai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yukimura Seiichi, a boy with a cat's tail and ears, lived a normal life until the age of 14, when he is kidnapped and forced into the dark world managed by the Nekomin Society. AU featuring Yukimura, Atobe, and Fuji. Yaoi.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Auctioned

**Author's Note:**

> A while ago I published a Nekomin story pilot, Home. That was an AU one-shot compared to what I’m about to write here… so… don’t expect any sweet TezuFuji pet ownership. Or AtoRyo. (There is a little TezuFuji tucked away, but no AtoRyo at all, sorry… but there _will_ be _lots_ of Atobe.)
> 
> The pilot did introduce the nekomin concept. A human-ish being with cat ears and tail, treated like a pet. With breeders and everything.
> 
> This fic will have so many dark themes - if you have any trigger words, just stop now (actually… don’t read any of my fics). 
> 
> **Central characters:** Yukimura, Fuji, Atobe. In that order.
> 
>  **Other characters that may appear:** Tezuka, Sanada, Oishi, Eiji, Yanagi, Inui, Niou, Oshitari, Mukahi, Yumiko, Ryouma.
> 
> Plus lots of nameless OCs, Atobe’s father (does he have a fan cannon name? How about Kenichi), and Atobe’s mother (let’s call her Atobe Christine). And U17 coaches and players just to avoid naming OCs. I’m sorry, they’re going to be terrible people. Or not...
> 
> And LOTS of yaoi. Though no guarantees of pairings. Lots of non-con. Sex pet training. That sort of thing. And lots of cuddly sex time. The closest thing to a pairing is Ato Yuki Fuji and switch those names around or group them however you like.
> 
> You have been warned.

_Terror._

His heart beating, his eyes bulging from their sockets. 

His heavy breaths, muffled by the wooden bar clamp between his teeth, and the cloth tying it back into place.

Sweat rolling off his brow.

The rattling of chains.

His chains, the ones connecting the cuffs on his wrist to the bars above him, loose enough to move but taught enough to keep his arms strained up above his head. 

His dark blue hair damp against his sweating skin, his bangs pasted to his cheeks.

His muffled cries of frustration and pain, as he tried to move his feet. Ropes bound his ankles to his thighs, wrapped round both like an eight, forcing him to kneel, while the chains pulling up his arms forced him to sit up.

The sweat sliding down his bare chest, then freezing in the cool air. Flashes of cold and hot took turns running through his body - cold from the chilled sweat, hot from the pounding heart and fruitless struggle.

His bulging eyes wildly glanced around. He couldn’t see anything other than the dark fabric draped over the bars around him. Just enough light came through them that he could tell he was in a cage, outlining dark bars that rounded inwards then all met at a point, shaping his prison like a bird cage. 

And Yukimura Seiichi was no more than that - a bird trapped in a cage. 

Except he was not a bird - he looked more like a cat, with his furry, dark blue cat ears, and his long, also dark blue tail. But his ears were pressed flat against his head, and his tail wrapped tightly around his waist, the tip pressing against his thigh.

But the rest of him looked entirely human, and anyone could see his entirety, since he wore no more than the chains and ropes.

The cage suddenly jerked, and he felt it start to move below him, as if it were on a cart and being rolled. 

Murmuring drifted through the cloth. The murmurs of many, many peoples. The rolling stopped.

“Now then,” boomed a voice. “We begin tonight, with something a little unexpected.” The speaker was close to him, Seiichi could tell, but speaking into a microphone. The voice belong to a man - a stereotypical announcer, too much so. “As you see in your pamphlets, he requires special care, considering his very unfortunate history.”

The cloth was torn away, and light assaulted Seiichi and his bare skin. He felt just as blind with it off - it was so bright, he couldn’t see anything. Even as his eyes began to adjust, he could barely make out the shape of a man in a suit, indeed holding a microphone, and he thought there was an audience in front of him. He could tell more from the murmurs though, it was just too bright to see. The bars of the cage were his only relief, creating shadows across his skin. But not really hiding him… he could feel it, hear it in their whispers, that they were looking at him.

“We brought him in this morning, and I assure you he’s in good health. For those of you who haven’t read the papers, this poor nekomin was raised in the most unfortunate circumstances.

“He was kidnapped from his breeder’s, despite all our careful security. Perhaps through his own efforts, though we’ll never know, he ended up in the hands of an innocent bystander - a woman who is not a member of the Society, who knew nothing about nekomin. She knew nothing, and tried to raise him as a human.”

At this, the murmurs turned to outright chatter, along with some loud gasps.

“I know, I know. She had him go to school, and tried to make him behave like a human. It would have been cute, if not for the gravity of the situation. Unfortunately, she passed away before we knew about it, but finally, this lovely pet is back in our hands, for us to care for.”

Seiichi rattled the chains, wanting to make the man shut up. He didn’t understand what the announcer was talking about. He’d always known he was adopted - the ears and tail made that part obvious - but Saori had been a wonderful mother to him. 

“Thus, as you can see, he’s in need of quite a bit of rehab. We understand he may be too much of a challenge for most - so we’re starting the bid with a simple, all-open auction. Starting at $15 grand, for a chance at one first and last night with this terrible beauty.”

The outlines of two men getting close to him made him struggled more, though it was meaningless. One reached above the cage, and Seiichi felt his hands being tugged on even harder - then let drop. His wrists were still bound, but in his exhaustion, he curled up as best he could into a ball.

“There we go, $15k - oh, I see $15-fifty - now $16 - and a sudden jump to $20!” 

The men now grabbed the bars, and with a hefty tug, lifted the cage up and out of the way, leaving Seiichi curled up on the platform. 

“$22… $25… $27…Oh my I can’t keep up. But before we go on, let me say that we do certify his virginity. Despite his circumstances, all our research and physical tests show that he’s lived as pure a life as if he were at a breeders. After all, he’s only fourteen, which is still young for someone raised human.”

The thinner of the two men - though they were still dark outlines - grabbed Seiichi’s hands, pulling them out, while the other man grabbed his ankles. They forced him to stay still while a third man undid the ropes around his legs.

The platform rotated - they rotated him, making it rotate - while the one man had his arms, the other two each had one of his legs. One of them - Seiichi couldn’t possibly know which, not that it mattered - grabbed his tail at its base, forcing it up, forcing him to expose himself as they pulled his legs apart.

His penis dangled down for all to see, and he could feel the cold air between his butt cheeks, where were spread wide. Something smooth… something narrow... _tapped_ against his butt hole, making him wail against the gag. 

_Please stop… please…_

“As I hope you all can see through the camera - nice and tight. But fully developed! This poor nekomin is waiting to discover himself - ah, I have news that we just his $1 million! Gentleman, and ladies, $1 million was the threshold for ownership. So we’ve now moved on to an ownership auction! 

“Please remember, only those with a gold number can participate. If you’d like to qualify as a nekomin owner for the next round, please contact the Society asap! These auctions are rather infrequent, after all.”

There were chuckles from the audience. Someone tied Seiichi’s ankles together, while the thin man put what could only have been a collar around Seiichi’s neck. The bluenette only had to shift a little to discover it was tied back somewhere, ready to choke him if he struggled again.

“$1.2 million… we have some serious buyers here today! $1.5… oh! $3 million!! What a jump!”

For a moment, the crowd went silent. Then the chatter erupted.

“Alright, it looks like we’re holding at $3 million… any other takers? . . . Hm…. we may be looking at a record setter here, we’ll be checking the books on this one.” The man laughed. “Of course, the Society will provide the necessary rehabilitation. Our esteemed Professor Saitou is working tirelessly right now to put together the training plan, and we’ll be seeing work from all our greats - Korube and Tsuge amongst others. No? Still too high? Well, that’s to be expected,” the man laughed. “Then! At $3 million… going once… going twice… sold!”

* * *

They dragged him off the stage. He almost tripped over his own feet as he scrambled to keep along, his athletic reflexes the only thing keeping him balanced. 

He didn’t know where they were going, through the twisted hallways, but it didn’t matter since he didn’t know where he was anyway. This was certainly not home. His small, remote town didn’t have any buildings like this. He remembered being on that truck for a long time, in that carrying cage made for large dogs - how hungry and thirsty he was, and that was only reason he didn’t need to go to the bathroom - and knew he could be anywhere in Japan.

His captors tore open a door, flicking on the light to reveal a large bedroom. It looked like a hotel room, and Seiichi thought he had seen a number on the door, but everything was a blur. If so, it was the biggest hotel room he’d ever seen, with the largest bed and fine sheets.

They jerked him onto the bed, and re-tied his wrists so that he was bound to the headboard. And then they left, as quickly as they had come.

He realized he was alone. For a several minutes he just lay there, buying his head in the sheets and shaking, hiding his tears. His sobs were already muffled by the gag. 

After a while, he forced himself to struggled again, but the boards barely even rattled. He was already exhausted, so he curled up on the sheet as best he could, and tried to sleep.

* * *

He woke when a hand grabbed his hair, pulling back his head and untying the gag and pulling out the bar of wood. He choked out a gasp, but not even a second passed and a different kind of gag was stuck in his mouth. It was a black, plastic ball, and his panicked breaths went out many holes in it, offering him some relief in addition to the fact it was more comfortable. But now his cries and would-be pleas were even more deranged and strange sounding.

The man handling him wiped off his mouth and chin with a cloth, then stepped away.

“Atobe-sama, he’s ready now, if you’d please,” said the man, bowing to a shadowed figure by the doorway.

Seiichi could just barely see this Atobe by turning his head. The man wore a suite and serious expression, though a light glowed in his eyes. He had a sharp chin with a clean, professional shave, and two small moles lined up below his lower lip. His light brown hair had a professional cut but was quite stylish, with just enough gel to hold the one inch strands meticulously in place. 

On his left hand, a gold wedding band glinted in the light as he stepped inside and loosened his tie. 

“He’s exceptional,” the businessman said, with a matter of fact tone, even as he removed his belt.

“He’ll be an excellent companion either you or your son, or both,” said the other man, as though he were selling something. “Once he’s trained. Did you know he’s the same age as Keigo?”

“I can read,” the man snapped, making the salesman shrink back towards the door. “I bought him to be a pet for my pet. I’ve heard they get lonely otherwise.”

“Of-of course, how kind of you,” the salesman waited at the doorway, as if hesitating before dismissing himself.

“It’s supposed to be Keigo’s pet,” the businessman continued, “but you know how children are. They end up the family pet.”

“I understand perfectly,” the salesman grinned. “It’s your money and ultimately your responsibility, so you might as well enjoy it. Please let me know if you need anything -”

“Lube,” said the businessman, as he set aside his pants. “And your assistance if he doesn’t hold still.”

“Of course!” The salesman moved back into the room, retrieving a bottle from one of the drawers.

Seiichi whimpered as his thighs were pried apart. He thought he was resisting, but he was so weak from all the struggling and being hungry that the businessman was able to hold him by himself. He didn’t look that old, but he didn’t look that young, either.

“...Nnn...nn… nnn!!” Seiichi screamed against the gag, as the man pushed two slick fingers into his asshole. It was so strange, he’d never even touched himself there, even when he cleaned under his tail. Said tail was stuck straight up, every furry hair on end, as the fingers began to move in and out.

“Hmm,” hummed the man, sounding pleased as the squishing sound the lube made. Seiichi felt sick, but other than the initial intrusion, he didn’t feel all that much pain. The man kept touching something inside him that made him feel… _nice_.

“Are you satisfied with-” 

“Yes, he’s a virgin,” the man snapped, cutting off the salesman. “I’m too old to handle something this tight.” 

A third finger fit in with the other two, and now Seiichi really felt stretched. He didn’t think he could take any more, and he was sure he didn’t want any. Though that place the man kept brushing against felt so good…

“It’ll all be better after the training,” the salesman said faintly, as if not sure his client was satisfied, but sure he’d be in trouble if the businessman wasn’t.

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” the businessman chuckled darkly, for once showing some emotion in his voice as he pulled out his fingers. He moved onto the bed, using his knees to pry Seiichi’s legs further apart. 

“I’ll take my leave, then,” the salesman said quietly, sounding satisfied as he closed the door behind him.

The man pressed his hips up against Seiichi’s ass, and the bluenette didn’t have to see it to know that the hard stick jabbing between his buttcheeks was the man’s dick. He couldn’t even scream right, with the ball gag, as the man pushed up into his hole, squishing into the lube.

But Seiichi was screaming. He was screaming, because it hurt. He was screaming, because this was all being forced him, and he didn’t know why he was here, why he’d been kidnapped, and sold, and why he was now being raped.

The man plunged in and out, moaning and sounding pleased. Seiichi’s screams got shorter, as his throat gave out, and as the feeling in his ass changed. Rather than ripping pain, he could feel that place again, being rubbed by the stranger’s cock, making him feel good.

The man started rubbing Seiichi’s dick, massaging it, making it hard and timing his handjob with his thrusts. Soon the fourteen year old was murmuring as his hormones kicked in, and between the fingers molesting his manhood and internal rubbing of his prostate, he finally moaned into the gag and orgasimed, his seed spilling into the sheet.

It felt so good, that one blissful moment, all his pain went away.

Then it was back, as the man began hammering into him double time, but he was falling asleep against the sheets which felt so warm, not caring about the sticky cum getting all over his stomach, and he thought the man came at least once before his lids grew heavy, though the man was still pressing in and out when he fell asleep…

* * *

He felt rumbling beneath him, and knew he was being moved again, but he was too tired to try anything. His hands and feet were bound, anyway, and all he could see was the dark interior of a windowless van.

He woke suddenly when light sprayed blindingly onto him, not even knowing when he’d fallen asleep. A huge man with dark skin blocked some of the light as he towered over him and pulled up a sheet. The man wrapped Seiichi in the sheet then carried him like a child.

Seiichi could feel when they went up and down stairs, but otherwise he couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes. He was hungry, weak, and hurting. 

The man set him down on a couch, and Seiichi could hear the man’s heavy footsteps going up stairs and disappearing. There were still people here though, talking - he cracked open his eyes, finally, to see who they were.

The businessman was there, with a serious, almost bored face, talking to two men. One wore a lab coat and was tall - so tall his head almost brushed the ceiling of the small room. His long, black hair and long face gave him a youthful look, but the drooping curves of his eyes hinted at experience. The other had short, smoothed hair the color of steel, and was well tanned compared to his companion. 

“-by the end of the second month,” the tall man was saying. “If its behavior is still a problem, we’ll revise the menu, but I’m fairly confident in the program.”

“It’s awake,” said the tan man, and Seiichi realized he was looking right at him. “We’ll complete the potty training today.”

The tan man reached down for a water bottle, unscrewing its lid as he walked over to Seiichi. The cat-eared teen felt his mouth go dry, as he couldn’t remember the last time he’d ate or drank anything.

“The other steps will take more time, but I’ll instruct the staff on how to react,” the tall man continued, talking to the businessman. “You won’t need to be involved. You can always use it for sex though, it will probably enjoy it.”

The tan man grabbed Seiichi’s chin, raising the water bottle to his lips. Seiichi drank greedily, not even caring about the water dribbling down his lips. 

“I’ll wait until the appropriate stages of the training,” the businessman replied. He glanced over at Seiichi, an unreadable look in his eyes, but quickly turned away. “I’ll leave you to your business then - I have my own to take care of.”

“Of course, Atobe-san,” the tall man nodded. “You needn’t worry about a thing. We’ll make Sei-pon a perfect nekomin, just like your Syuusuke.”

Bowing slightly, the business man dismissed himself and headed up the stairs. Seiichi hardly noticed - he was almost choking on the water now. He’d finished off the first bottle, and the tan man was giving him another. With his hands still bound, he couldn’t have held it up anyway.

“That should be plenty, Tsuge,” said the tall man, an amused smile on his face. “Bring it over to the box.”

The tan man - Tsuge - let him finish off the bottle, then grabbed his hands. Seiichi didn’t know when his feet had been untied, but his ass still hurt from the sex, and he stumbled to walk forward. 

“Oh my, I forgot the collar,” said the tall man. He picked up what was undoubtedly a dog collar from the low table. Seiichi’s lips fell open in shock as the collar was placed around his neck.

“Hm,” Tsuge grunted, as he tugged at the collar, making the small bell jingle, then went back to dragging Seiichi by the wrist.

The room was fairly small. There were two couch chairs in addition to the long couch Seiichi had been on, with a low guest table between them. They’d entered the room by coming down the stairs, and the lack of windows was further evidence that they were in a basement. Seiichi could see a door at the far end of the room, but it was shut.

He didn’t notice the litter box until he was dragged in front of it.

It was an actual litter box. A large one, large enough for a big dog, but still a littler box. He thought he couldn’t breath, panting for air as Tsuge pulled up his hands, and the tall man positioned his feet so he was squatting over the box. By the time the two men were done, he was squatting over it, bent so that his penis pointed down. If it weren’t for Tsuge holding up his arms, he would have fallen into the sand. 

“Let’s see,” the tall man reached underneath Seiichi’s stomach, and pressed against his lower abdomen.

“Oh!” Seiichi whimpered, as he realized where all that water had gone. As unbelievable as it was, he realized what these men wanted him to do.

“Go on little kitty,” the tall man cooed. He held Seiichi’s penis pointed towards the box. “This is where you go pee.”

Seiichi gasped and sobbed, his legs shaking with exhaustion at holding himself in the squat. He didn’t know he could feel more shame than he had that mourning - or was it yesterday? - but these men were making him pee like a dog while they watched… 

“..Nnnn...aahh…” He finally let go, unable to hold it in between the two bottles of water and the tall man’s prodding. It was such a relief, even the wash of shame he felt as he peed into the sand. 

Tsuge untied his hands, and he fell onto his hands and knees over the litter box. He was exhausted, and tears were dropping from his eyes into the sand, moistening it further.

“Do you want to take a break?” asked Tsuge.

“It’ll be fine in a few minutes,” the tall man waved his hand.

“I meant for you, Saitou,” Tsuge shook his head. “You’ve been working on this training plan for two days. I know you haven’t slept.”

“Let’s complete the potty training first,” the tall man, Saitou, shrugged.

Sighing, Tsuge went to the table and returned with a container. He removed the lid to review several small, ping pong sized balls, then handed it to Saitou.

Kneeling down, Saitou ran his hand along Seiichi’s inner thigh and then up over his butt, pulling his tail up and out of the way. His other hand reached up, parting his butt cheeks. Seiichi whimpered as his sore hole was prodded with a long, bony finger, and he could feel the cum from early leaking out of him.

“There’s still a lot of cum and lube from earlier,” Saitou said. “Let’s just add the balls.”

“No,” Seiichi whimpered, as one of the balls was pushed into his butt hole. It wasn’t that it was painful… it wasn’t as big as the businessman’s cock, and the rubber texture went in smoothly. But then a second ball was shoved in, then a third… “No, _please_.”

 _Whap._

Seiichi’s head twisted to the side as his cheek was slapped, making him gasp in surprise.

“No noise,” Tsuge ordered. He stuck his thumb in Seiichi’s mouth, pushing down on his tongue and forcing up his jaw. “A good nekomin doesn’t babble like a human.”

Saitou chuckled. “It doesn’t understand, Tsuge. There’s no point in explaining. We’ll have to use corporal punishment each time it tries to form words like a human.” He pushed in another two balls.

“I know,” Tsuge shrugged. He pushed harder on Seiichi’s tongue.

Saitou pushed in the last of the balls, setting down the container. The bluenette felt so full, with all the balls inside of him. As much as he hated it, the pressure on his g-spot was sending his nerves into a frenzy, and Saitou began rubbing Seiichi’s penis, making it hard.

Tsuge finally let go of his head, and reached up above him. Seiichi could hear rattling, before once again his hands were yanked up. A large bar dangled over his head, hanging down like a clothes hanger, the chain leading up to a spike drilled into the ceiling. Once his hands were hooked onto it, Tsuge repositioned his legs so that he was squatting again.

“Go on, kitty,” Saitou cooed, his fingers massaging Seiichi’s manhood as it started to leak. “This is where you let the poo-poo out.”

“Why don’t you spank him?” asked Tsuge.

“I’ve found this to be more effective,” Saitou smiled, continuing his hand job. “Also, the nekomin gets to enjoy a physical reward for defecating in the right place. This way, it connects the litter box with a good physical feeling.”

Seiichi no longer knew what he was feeling - intense shame or pleasure - but he did feel the balls sliding down. His anal muscles were clenching around them, making him feel like he was having sex again. 

_Pop._

The first one came out so easily, making him moan. He felt a wave of pleasure at the release, coupled with the hand caressing his balls. 

“Go on, push it all out,” Saitou said in his soft voice, as though he were talking to a child.

Seiichi couldn’t help himself. He _pushed_ \- and out they came.

“Ah - aaahh!”

It felt so good, the release, the relief, the pressure on his g-spot, the hand on his dick… the balls were moving inside of him, and suddenly he orgasmed, cum spewing out in an arc and landing in the litter box.

“There - I think it gets the idea.” Saitou stood up and moved away, letting Tsuge unhook Seiichi and drag his exhausted body over toward the couch.

Seiichi could see the balls glistening on the litter, covered in sticky liquid. He could see the lump of sand where he’d peed, and his white seed slowly forming new lumps as it sunk in.

Saitou set him down, and he lay numbly on the couch.

* * *

A maid came down and brought food. He almost laughed - it was in a dog bowl. Glistening little pieces of sashimi, cut into tiny cubes, along with salmon eggs and shiso leaves. It was clearly gourmet by any standards he’d been raised with, even in the dog bowl.

She cleaned the litter box, added fresh sand, and left without a word. His two trainers silently watched from their chairs, evaluating her as they’d been doing with him.

Not that he had any energy to move, at that point. But the sight of food reminded him that he hadn’t eaten in… who knew how long. Well, the trainers would know. His stomach seemed to know, as it started to churn.

Tsuge stood up.

He wrapped his hands around Seiichi’s waist, pressing the nekomin’s back to his stomach, and pulled him off the couch. Seiichi almost stumbled onto the ground, but his athletic reflexes kicking in, his foot slamming onto the rug at a hard angle, keeping him from falling. But Tsuge grabbed his calf and pulled it up, making him fall anyway.

He caught himself with his hands - or rather, Tsuge let him catch himself, and now Seiichi was on his hands and knees. 

“Go eat, little kitten,” Saitou clucked. He bent forward, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his chin on the back of his hands. “Crawl to dinner.”

Tsuge attached a leash to his collar, and _jerked_.

Seiichi gasped as he was quickly choked, even though the pressure was gone in an instant. Then he yelped when Tsuge whipped the end of the leather leash on his butt. It shocked mroe than that it actually hurt, but Seiichi got the picture. He was too exhausted to fight, physically or mentally. 

He crawled to the bowl of food. His mouth watered as he took in the sight of the glistening sashimi, the rich marbled salmon, the pale yellow fish, the bits of spanish mackerel… sushi had been a yearly treat for him and his mother, a mid-January tradition since they couldn’t afford buying it during the actual new years. 

He lifted his hand to scoop some out, but Tsuge grabbed his wrist.

“This silly thing is trying to eat with its hands like a human,” Tsuge stated, as though Seiichi was about to do the stupidest thing in the world.

Saitou came over to them and squatted down. “Push down its head,” he said, fisting Seiichi’s hair and forcing down his head. “Like this.”

Tsuge bent down over Seiichi, holding his wrists so his arms were locked in place, while Saitou pushed Seiichi’s head down to the bowl. Tsuge felt hard through his pants, his manhood jabbing against Seiichi’s thigh. But the nekomin no longer cared as he could smell the ocean from the fish, and he bit down to take in the fish.

Everything was perfectly cubed to make it easy for him to get in his mouth and chew. He ate like a dog. He was a dog. He had cat ears and a cat tail, but here he was eating like a dog. Peeing like a dog. Pooing like a dog. And as ashamed as he was, his bodily needs overcame him, and he ate, and ate, until there was hardly anything left in the bowl. All he’d managed to do was eat cleanly, by slowly picking up the fish with his teeth and tongue. 

He felt better now. He’d needed to eat. He didn’t know how many days he’d been starved for. 

Tsuge undid his leash, only to replace it with another one. This one was long, an endless strip of leather attached to a bolt on the wall. It attached with a snap, and Saitou pulled out a tiny key, and locked it in place.

And then they left him there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Atobe Kenichi is Atobe Keigo’s father. He’s 35 years old. To avoid confusion, I will rarely use Atobe to describe either one.
> 
> * * *
> 
> UH so I promise this fic gets better! Next chapter, Keigo and Syuusuke will show up - so much better! This is just... the darkest period in Seiichi's life so... I've taken you along for the ride. Ha...ha...


	2. Pet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seiichi meets another nekomin for the first time in his life, and learns about his new life - as a pet in the Atobe household.

“Yukimura-kun, I’d like to introduce you to Mr. Richard Baker. He’s an important member of the Nekomin Society’s Executive Committee and has personally come here to see you.” 

Seiichi smiled welcomingly at his social worker, Inoue-san, who had done his best to help him after Saori’s final admittance to the hospital. Inoue-san wasn’t from the town, but he’d been very kind to the nekomin, and promised he’d find the right kind of home for him. Seiichi thought he’d be fine living on his own, or with his best friend’s family who had offered to take him in, but the law said he was underage, so the social worker had been assigned. 

After doing research, Inoue-san said he’d found out that the Nekomin Society would be able to help, and contacted them. And the result was today’s meeting - Inoue-san and three representatives of the Society stepped into the entryway.

One of them, with curly hair and round glasses, carried a remarkably large rectangular package, covered by a sheet. He was small and but didn’t seem to be struggling, carrying it one-handed by a handle that stuck up through the sheet, and in the other hand, he had what looked like a medical box. It matched his white doctor’s coat and stethoscope. He went in before the others, smiling brightly as he passed Seiichi.

“Thank you, Inoue, for contacting us,” Mr. Baker nodded at the social worker. “This is an unusual case, but well within the Society’s capacities. My colleagues and I will be handling everything from this point.” He stood by the door in such a way that Inoue-san was clearly blocked from entering, at least without being rude.

“Had this child been properly registered as a nekomin, we would have come immediately,” said the third member, a man with smooth blond hair that fell past his chin, and rectangular glasses. “I’m Mitsuya Akuto, a lawyer representing the Nekomin Society. Social Services does not have jurisdiction in this case, and we have notified your supervisors.”

“I know, they gave me the heads up,” Inoue-san scratched the back of his head, smiling nervously. “I’m glad to hear Yukimura-kun will be taken care of.” He turned towards Seiichi, giving him a warm smile. “You’re a good kid, I’m sure the Society will match you with a good family.” With that, he bowed goodbye and took his leave.

“Come in,” Seiichi said politely to the three men, and walked them into the living room. The small one put down his huge package and the medical box, and began rummaging through it while the other two joined Seiichi at the low table. Seiichi poured them tea, while Mitsuya looked through the papers he’d left out. They covered all of Saori’s assets, including the house.

“I haven’ introduce myself, I’m Doctor Irie,” the small man came over to him with that peculiar smile, and a large needle. “Arm, please.”

Not one to be bothered by needles, Seiichi held out his left arm, which Dr. Irie injected into. 

“This will help you relax,” the doctor smiled, returning to his box to put the needle away.

Mitsuya finished going through the papers, hitting them on the table to straighten them, before putting them in his case.

“I now have a full understanding of this case,” Mitsuya spoke monotonously, like he saw everything as data to be analyzed. “According to Yukimura Saori’s will, you are to inherit her house and other relevant property, with temporary guardianship to be given to the Sanada family until you come of age. However, it is my prerogative as a lawyer specializing in nekomin-related cases to inform you that your corrected status as a nekomin negates your ability to assume ownership. As a courtesy, the Society has hired me to draft the correction paperwork regarding the estate.”

“I… I don’t understand,” Seiichi flushed, trying to work out what the lawyer’s explanation meant for him. But he felt warm and was getting dizzy, and he couldn’t think straight. 

“It’s simple,” Mr. Baker smirked, and there was something in his eyes that made Seiichi uncomfortable. He hadn’t touched his tea. "You can't own property, because you _are_ property.”

The room spun faster and faster around Seiichi, and he didn’t realize how weak he felt, until he dropped his tea cup and spilled hot liquid all over the table. It dribbled across the wood, and he watched the first drop fall off the edge from where he lay on the floor, though he didn’t even know when he’d fallen down. 

He couldn’t move. His breath was slow, and his body felt incredibly warm. Breathing deeply, he rolled onto his back, squinting to make the world less blurry, and he saw that the cloth had been removed from the huge package. Mitsuya was helping Doctor Irie open it, pulling on metal sides that screeched dimly in Seiichi’s ears, and becoming a large dog kennel as it expanded.

He felt numb as they picked him up and placed him inside. He couldn’t talk or hear or move, and his eyes were slowly closing. 

_You can’t own property, because you_ are _property._

He wondered what that meant.

And then he fell asleep.

* * *

Seiichi’s eyes opened slowly, but at least they didn’t ache. Soft light coated the room around him, and he opened his eyes wider as he realized it was the first natural light he’d seen in weeks.

He didn’t know how long he’d been in ‘training’. The last thing he remembered was the three trainers surrounding him, one in his mouth, and two, somehow, in his ass. His rump twitched at the memory, and the soreness there reminded him that it had really happened. 

He remembered being filled with cum at both ends, he remembered it dripping off his skin. He remembered them celebrating, saying he was a good nekomin now, the perfect pet.

Then his memory went blank.

He’d been washed, clearly, and carried somewhere new. He still had no clothes on, but he had a new collar, with a small, sparkly white pom pom on the front, instead of a bell. He was laid out on a sheet, on top of a thick, woolly rug with a soothing, wave-like design.

Taking a deep breath, he sat up slowly, and was greeted with the sight of two people, completely naked, on a couch.

His mind was fuzzy, after all the weeks of being trained not to think, but he did his best to process what he was seeing.

They were both sleeping, one entirely on top of the other, and they looked peaceful. The ears of the one on top twitched - it was nekomin!

Gasping, Seiichi sat up properly, suddenly wide awake. He’d never seen another nekomin. In magazines and on tv, of course, but never in person. Certainly not in his small town. 

With the palest skin he’d ever seen, and white, fluffy ears and tail, the nekomin had an air about him that floated up like sunlight. His light brown hair accentuated his white fur, and Seiichi unconsciously touched his own hair, wondering for the first time why it was the same color as his fur. The nekomin was small, smaller than him both in thinness and height, and Seiichi thought he must be as light as he looked since he didn’t seem to be bothering the human he lay on top of.

The youth beneath him wasn’t especially big, either, though the nekomin was clearly smaller. They seemed to be young, both of them, maybe the same as as Seiichi. The human teen had dark silver hair, a slim, toned body, and a distinct mole beneath his right eye. Seiichi gasped as he realized why this youth looked familiar - he looked just like the businessman, but younger.

_Like my owner,_ he reminded himself. 

A thin trail of white rolled down the nekomin’s inner thigh. 

Just _like my owner._ His heart darkened.

And then skipped a beat, as he realized a sharp, cerulean eye was staring right at him.

The nekomin had woken up. His blue eyes were just as pretty as the rest of him, pure and soft, and he pulled up slowly, his hands pushing on the young man’s chest for support.

Then his upper body bent down, and he stretched out exactly like a cat. His tail curled up in the air, his eyes pressed down against his head, and he yawned so wide, and it was the most adorable thing Seiichi had ever seen.

Those blue eyes slid to look at Seiichi, drooping as the nekomin smiled. 

“... Mmm…. no,” groaned the young man beneath the nekomin, and his eyes shut even more tightly as he turned his head to the side out of the light. He clearly had no intention of getting up.

The nekomin moved gracefully, rolling fluidly off the other, who breathed deeply in relief once the weight was gone. 

Seiichi gasped slightly as he realized the nekomin was crawling towards him, those blue eyes never leaving his face. He didn’t know what to do or say, he didn’t even think he could talk any more, after what they had done in his training. But the nekomin smiled so prettily at him, and moved so close to him, and soon they were only noses apart. 

Several seconds passed, Seiichi holding his breath as the nekomin stared at his face.

And then those pink lips moved close, and Seiichi backed his head into the wall, and then he felt them press against his, and he had the nicest, softest first kiss.

A gentle, small tongue pressed against his lips, and he widened them to allow entrance, moaning as the skillful muscle explored his mouth. He’d never even imagined a kiss like this, didn’t know it could feel so nice, and he found himself kissing back, his tongue meshing against the invading one. 

They pulled apart to breath, a sweet smile on the nekomin’s lips which had grown rosey from use. Seiichi pressed his own lips together, amused at how puffy they were. 

“God, Syuusuke, your timing,” the young man on the couch had finally woken up, and rolled up into a sitting position. His eyes were still only fractionally open, wrinkled together along with his brow, and Seiichi wondered if he was hung over.

The nekomin - Syuusuke, he guessed - chuckled softly, then drew away and slipped back onto the couch. He bent down in slow, sensual manner, ending up with his head and arms languidly draped on the young man’s lap. That white tail curled into an S, and he looked exactly like a house cat waiting for pets.

“. . . Oh please, we’re not really going to play this game,” the young man groaned, but stroked Syuusuke’s ears anyway. The nekomin made noises that sounded more like giggles than purring.

Seiichi stared up at the young man, who straightened once he realized he was being sized up, and pressed two fingers against his face in an awkward manner. 

“Atobe Keigo,” he introduced himself, then rubbed the nekomin’s ear as he said, “And this is Syuusuke.”

The way Keigo was looking at him, and his tone of voice as he spoke, made it seem as though Seiichi was supposed to respond. But the bluenette knew better. He kept his lips pressed together, his eyes looking away to the side.

During his training, speaking was severely punished. Sounds were okay, like moans and screams and whimpers, but any distinguishable word was either cause for punishment, or worse, ignored - like he were some sort of gibberish gargling mad man. Sometimes someone would speak to him, very specifically, as if they expected him to respond, and if he did… he shuddered remembering. A cock in his mouth, pumping in and out, was the least of his punishments. 

Before the end of his training, a maid had come down when no one was there. She whispered that she was there to help him sneak out, to free him. She kept trying to get him to respond, to talk to her, to go with her, but he refused. He curled into a ball. Finally, after what felt like hours, she stood up and smiled, and announced he had passed. His trainers came down the stairs, and he was rewarded with ice cream, then by being allowed to cum several times. 

The young man sighed, then stood up after making Syuusuke move. “I’m going to shower, I have practice in …,” he checked his watch, “Fuck, thirty minutes.” He dove into a door, a bathroom Seiichi realized, as he came back out in a bathrobe and took off up a small flight of stairs. Seiichi couldn’t see the door, but he could hear one rapidly open and close.

He and the other nekomin were left alone.

Syuusuke smiled at him, then came over and took his hand. 

Seiichi realized he was being shown around. Syuusuke started with the bathroom, which was the biggest bathroom Seiichi had ever seen in his life. There was a rack with two bathrobes on them, one light blue and the other dark blue, and hooks for three more. A wide sink sank elegantly into a long marble counter, on which sat a selection of fancy looking bottles lined up by height. The toilet had two buttons that together formed a circle, but one was larger than the other. And then there was the bathtub - it was long, with a curved, embedded seat, and many different types of shower heads all around. Even the towels were nice, so soft looking he had to touch them right then, and each was embroidered with a cursive ‘Atobe’ above a single silver line. 

Syuusuke waited for him to take it all in, before leading him back into the main room. It seemed they were in some sort of town house, or something like it. The main room sank down several steps from the entry room, but there was no wall between them. Natural sunlight poured in from high windows and skylights. Syuusuke led him up the stairs, and took him up ladder-like steps to a loft, which hung over the main room. A smooth wooden railing kept occupants from falling off, but otherwise it was also open, and Seiichi felt like the whole place was one big room in a way. 

In the loft, which was larger than Seiichi’s bedroom had been, a queen bed was shoved against the wall, next to a dresser. A twin bed was propped up next to it, but it was so nicely made with bright white sheets that didn’t match any of the decor, that Seiichi realized it must have been added in a haste for him. A thick rug covered the equally thick carpeting, and there was a comforter crumpled on the floor, which obviously came from the queen bed.

Syuusuke showed him two empty drawers, though he could see from the clothes sticking out from the others that the space had been made in haste. Considering how many servants he’d seen during his training, he wondered if they weren’t allowed to come in very often. Syuusuke led him back down then, chuckling to himself about something, and now Seiichi had a good look at everything there. 

Aside from the couch was an enormous tv, with at least three game stations hooked up to it, and bookshelves lined with mostly with books, and some video games. Two desks sat side by side, one with a laptop, and the other with a sketch pad. Then there was a bin with laundry, a giant closet, and more shelves with water bottles and snacks.

It was a home. A home for Syuusuke, he realized, and now for him. 

But it was missing something. There was something he hadn’t seen anywhere…. 

The litterbox. 

_What…_ He looked over at the bathroom. _What do I do?_

He’d known there was a bathroom close to him in that basement, but the chain kept him from reaching it. But here….

And then he eyed the door. Keigo had went out of that door in a hurry. And there were high windows on three sides of the house, showing trees in all directions.

He wondered if he could escape.

But even if he could, where would he go? He had no family. And now he knew, as a nekomin, he had no rights. He wondered what they would do to him, how bad his punishment would be, if he was caught.

Syuusuke tapped his hand, and his dark blue eyes met those light blue gems. The nekomin indicated the couch, so he sat down, but then Syuusuke went to use the bathroom. Seiichi held his breath - he could hear Syuusuke peeing, and then flushing the toilet, and then he knew.

He could use the bathroom.

But then why… why had they trained him… _humiliated_ him…

Syuusuke came back out after a few more minutes, this time in the light blue bathrobe, and handed him the dark blue one to put on. Then he took Seiichi’s hand again, and they walked up the steps.

Seiichi suddenly realized they were about to leave, when Syuusuke reached for the door.

It was locked.

The smile vanished, and Syuusuke was suddenly upset. He tried jiggling the knob, then kicked the bottom angrily. 

_It’s locked because of me,_ Seiichi realized. He felt sorry for Syuusuke, who probably wasn’t locked in here all the time. 

After several minutes of pouting on the couch, Syuusuke finally went over to the desk and picked up the sketch book. 

An outline of a person - no, a nekomin, a tail and ears were added - was etched lightly on the page. Syuusuke began to add a lines, and soon an intricate dress began to take shape.

_That’s amazing,_ Seiichi wanted to say, but the words stuck in his throat. 

He had read online that nekomin could draw, but the sample pictures were akin to paintings by elephants. Clearly, that was a lie. He realized he didn’t know anything about nekomin. Could Syuusuke really not talk? Or was Syuusuke forced not to talk, the way he’d been?

The sound of a door slamming open startled him awake. He didn’t even remember falling asleep.

Syuusuke was on the rug now, lying on his stomach with his feet and tail pointed up, and he was still drawing but on a different sketch pad, and not detailed sketches with a pencil, but childlike doodles with crayons. He’d changed into an orange dress, the type they made for nekomin with a special opening and a privacy ruffle in the back. Seiichi had seen them in magazines but never figured out how to buy one, and they were too expensive, anyway. Nor did he feel comfortable dressing like a girl.

But with those fluffy white ears and chin length hair, Syuusuke looked very cute in a dress.

Two sets of foot steps caught his attention, and he turned to see Keigo coming down into the main room… with Saitou ducking his head behind him.

Ice creeped through his muscles, his eyes dilating as he stiffened in place. Everything from his training flashed back at him, and he tried not to let his fear show, but his tail was puffing up beyond his control. He felt a sense of satisfaction, though, when he noticed the lean giant had to keep his head bent to avoid the low ceiling. 

The bluenette held very still as Saitou bent down over him, tracing his cheek with those long fingers he’d become familiar with, then lifting his chin so that their eyes met. That calculating gaze took in every twitch he made, his shallow breathing, the way his ears pushed flat. Then the fingers drifted down his neck, pushing on the collar and making his throat feel a sensation of choking. His hands curled on the couch as he tried to keep still, not to cry or show any reaction.

The fingers moved on. They slid down the bathrobe’s collar, but stopped when Keigo made an impatient snort.

“Tell me, Professor, is he okay or not? I have many commitments today, and one of which I plan to bring Syuusuke along.” The silver haired teen had a haughty tone that Seiichi hadn’t noticed earlier, like he thought very highly of his personal schedule and not so highly of a well educated professional. 

Saitou pulled his hand away. “Yes, his training showed excellent results. But it still requires follow-up and refreshers.”

The crayons fell to the ground, as Syuusuke jumped up. Saitou swung around to greet him, and the brunette lifted his arms, standing on tippy toes so he could reach around Saitou’s neck, making him bend - and then kissing him on the cheek.

“Yes, I know,” Saitou smiled, placing his hands on the nekomin’s shoulders. “Syuusuke will be a good influence. You raised Japan’s most perfect nekomin.”

“My perfection pervades everything I touch,” Keigo drawled, as though this was a well known fact. “It’s only natural that the best nekomin would belong to my family.”

“You certainly proved that in the youth nekomin pageant,” the professor grinned, letting Syuusuke go back to his coloring. “Will you be entering him in this year’s competition?”

“The cut-off’s February 28, so he’s short by a day,” Keigo shrugged. “It’s fine, this year’s competitors needn’t fear being completely overshadowed.”

“I feel sorry for next year’s then.” Eyes twinkling, Saitou glanced around, looking particularly interested in the books until Keigo offered him a tour. 

“Though really, your father truly does things on another level,” Saitou commented. His tour was short, since he didn’t go up to the loft because of his height. “I’ve visited many mansions, but you’re the first one to have your own house as a playroom.”

This place was built for Keigo? Seiichi looked at the desk where Syuusuke’s other sketchbook sat, and wondered if that was true.

“I am aware of dollhouses and other such plebian toys,” Keigo huffed. “But how can a child learn to manage a company, if he can’t manage his own property? My father gave me practical experience. And I turned out rather grand as a result.”

Were Seiichi not so terrified of Saitou, he probably would have laughed. He doubted this Atobe Keigo picked his own underwear off the floor. Servants obviously did everything.

“Of course,” Saitou hummed. “It’s ideal for your pets. I’ll stop by as scheduled.” He ducked back down into the main room. Syuusuke, who’d stayed next to Seiichi on the couch holding his hand the entire time, stood up in greeting. With his hands tucked behind his back, he raised his chin with a smile. Saitou patted his head and pet his ears, which flicked a little in response, and his tail had a friendly curl up in the air. “Syuusuke’s so sweet.”

Saitou then moved over to the couch, and Seiichi did his best not to squirm as his own head was patted in a similar way.

He had let plenty of his friends growing up play with his tail and ears. They were all respectful - or his best friend taught them to be. He didn’t mind. Saori told him that if he showed them in what ways he was different, it would be easier to show them how everything else was the same. So he let them touch, and feel, and somewhere along the way, everyone in town was used to them, and everyone - including himself - forgot he was different.

But then these people had come. Kidnappers, rapists, torturers … he had thought of so many ways to describe them. But they called themselves trainers or masters or owners, and eventually he started to think of them that way. That he was below them. That he was different.

Saitou touched his ears in the same way his playmates had, but it wasn’t the same.

Saitou petted him like an animal.

Keigo offered to walk Saitou to the gate, leaving the two nekomin alone. Syuusuke went back to the couch, but he didn’t just hold Seiichi’s hand. Instead, he tried to pull him up. 

Shaking his head, Seiichi pulled up his legs and crossed his arms over them. He felt sick. He thought his training was over, that he wouldn’t have to see Saitou or his partners again. But he’d been warned, now. They would check on him. If they didn’t like something, they would punish him.

“I’m sorry.”

The voice came so quietly, at first Seiichi thought he’d misheard the wind.

Then his limbs uncurled in shock, as he suddenly realized Syuusuke had said something.

Syuusuke had _talked_.

“I’m sorry, Seiichi-san. We never invite people from the Society to come here, but he insisted on seeing your living conditions….”

Syuusuke talked again. No, Syuusuke was talking a lot. Normally, naturally, like it was something he did all the time. But just earlier…

Suddenly Syuusuke started chuckling. “You should see the look on your face. I forgot, sorry, I was just, um, trying to set an example. And I knew Saitou-sensei was coming, and it’s easier to act like a nekomin when I’m already playing the part.”

Seiichi tried to open his mouth, tried to respond, but air wouldn’t pass through his throat. At the same time he was in disbelief. 

He’d always thought real nekomin couldn’t talk, and that he was some sort of freak exception. But now he knew for sure - nekomin just weren’t allowed to.

Swallowing, he tried to form words. But… but what if…

What if this was another trick.

“It’s okay,” Syuusuke smiled gently, as if he understood what Seiichi was thinking. “You can talk to me and Keigo. Not anyone else though, and not a word if we aren’t inside the house. . . . Um there are some other exceptions, I’ll introduce you first though, don’t assume anyone who seems nice or talks to you is okay.”

To Keigo? To the son of that monster, who seemed to be a little monster himself?

Settling down on the couch, Syuusuke sat up close to him, and then reached up and touched his ears. Seiichi hadn’t even realized they were pressed flat against his head. Syuusuke rubbed them in a way he’d never felt before, not like his curious neighbors, not like Saitou, in the same way he’d rub his own ears, in all the right places.

“I’m sorry, Seiichi-san. Keigo told me that they hurt you. I know what they do to nekomin who accidentally talk. The Society knows we can talk, that we’re… that we have the same brains as human. But they don’t want anyone else to know. It’s a game, pretending that we can’t talk, pretending that we can’t read or draw better than a toddler, and they know it’s a game but they still want us to play it. And you _have_ to play it. Otherwise… they’ll hurt you again, and much worse.”

Seiichi didn’t think it could get any worse. But listening to Syuusuke explain… it made sense. So much sense. The way they had trained him. How they had talked around him. They made it sound like they knew he didn’t understand, and yet they kept saying things to each other that taught him how to behave. They spoke like two parents who knew their child was eavesdropping, and wanted it to overhear. 

And if all of it were true… then he could talk here, at least secretly, at least with another nekomin. He didn’t think he trusted Atobe Keigo no matter what Syuusuke said. The brunette seemed sweet enough, but he had acted so differently before, when Saitou was here and even early when he was showing Seiichi around. The expression he wore now was different. It was still kind, but also very intelligent. Syuusuke was observing him, gauging him, the way his opponent in tennis would. Seiichi wasn’t sure if he trusted him, either.

Syuusuke stopped smiling, as if he’d realized Seiichi’s misgivings. But the frown that replaced it was sad, and Syuusuke gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

Seiichi flushed as he remember their kiss from earlier.

The sound of the door opening broke the building tension, and Keigo charged inside, with two servants behind him. They carried in a large tray, which uncovered revealed several plates with a variety of gourmet looking food, and began to set it all up on the round table in the entry room. 

Keigo strutted around them, giving out directions as though he were guiding them, though it looked more like he was getting in the way. The servants politely seemed to be listening, but were meticulously arranging things so quickly, they were obviously humoring him. They swept in and out with quiet grace, the only words being that they would return in three hours.

Strutting down the steps, Keigo only held still when he noticed the two nekomin sitting stiffly on the couch.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, lifting one carefully shaped eyebrow. “Syuusuke, I walked Saitou to the gate, and everyone’s reporting back to me that it’s clear.” 

He held out his hand, and Syuusuke jumped off the couch and they wrapped their arms around each other. 

“Keigo, he won’t talk to me.” Syuusuke sounded like he was about to cry. “It’s like… with my mom...”

Seiichi felt a pang of guilt, but shook it away. He’d tried to talk, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t say words anymore.

Keigo sighed, then unwrapped his arms, and marched over to the couch. He put one hand on his hip, the other in front of his face, in the same thinking pose he’d used earlier.

“I know you can talk, and I know you’ve been talking for fourteen years. I read your profile, Yukimura Seiichi, and I can only imagine how it was to grow up as the only one with a tail and cat ears in your home town. You were strong enough to get through that, and excel to the top of your class, and be on the beautification committee, and in the tennis club, and I know you are strong enough to take all the Society did to you and get past in, and stand back up.”

He spoke with confidence but not the arrogance that had laced his tone when Saitou was there. His words were full of expectations, and demands, and no one had ever talked to Seiichi that way. All his life he’d had to prove himself, and then he spent the last several weeks being taught to be nothing. And now this… this rich _brat_ was telling him he was more, after his own father and his father’s goonies had tortured him into submission, was telling him to be that person he’d worked so hard to be, as if everything they’d done to him had been nothing, the pain and sex and intense humiliation… as if Atobe Keigo had ever experienced any pain in his life…

“You don’t know me,” Seiichi spat, and the words flew out clear from his throat. He stood up from the couch, blood racing through his head, and for the first time in weeks, he felt something greater than fear - anger. “You don’t own me, either.”

He didn’t have anywhere to go, but he didn’t want to be here, with this rich brat smirking at him and this guileful nekomin who stole his first kiss pretending to look shocked. So he stormed up to the loft, dove for the make-shift bed, and buried himself under the covers.

After several minutes of angry crying, his anger started to fade, and then the fear came back and sweltered. He grabbed the pillow and hugged it close to him, shivering as he wondered what his punishment would be. 

He was not expecting that. This was different from his training. 

Light footsteps came up the steps, and he froze, gripping the pillow so hard his knuckles turned white. 

“Seiichi-san,” came Syuusuke’s soft voice. “I’m sorry. I should have talked to you when you first got here. I didn’t think that… I should have realized that you don’t know anything about… about the Society, about how nekomin are supposed to behave. I don’t know what it’s like to do anything but what they want. I’ve never been to school. I’ve never been outside without Keigo. 

“I shouldn’t have thought I’d understand your feelings. I just… Keigo told me I was going to have a new friend, and I got so excited when I saw you… I just started thinking about all these things…”

He sounded like he was going to cry. But when Seiichi peaked out from under the blanket, he saw the brunette's cheeks were dry, and he was sitting seiza style by the bed, staring down at his knees. His fluffy white tail curled and uncurled around him, waving like a flag. 

When he realized Seiichi had uncovered his head, he raised those blue eyes to meet the bluenette’s, whose grew wide. 

Syuusuke’s apology, at least, was genuine.

“Stop pouting and come down and eat dinner,” Keigo called from the bottom of the loft’s stairs.

Picking up the fork with trepidation, Seiichi took a small first bite, thinking it would make him sick. But the soft, moist gourmet was too delicious, and he couldn’t stop himself from devouring several of the small plates. It was too strange, and only his awakened hunger kept him from being too afraid to eat, normally sitting at the table with dining ware, with his captor’s son and another nekomin.

They ate quietly, though by the way Keigo and Syuusuke kept looking at him, Seiichi suspected he was entirely the cause of the awkward silence. They finished off the food, and his first thought was about the bathroom.

As terrified as he was to use it like a normal human, he felt even more ashamed at the thought of going in a corner, in front of these two. He had a feeling that neither knew what he had gone through in the training. Otherwise, they would have been far more afraid of a monster like Saitou.

* * *

“Swear on your mother’s grave you won’t run away.”

Seiichi’s gut dropped at the mention of Saori, but he glared back into Keigo’s dark silver eyes. “I swear on Mom’s grave. I won’t leave Syuusuke’s side.”

“There’s no one in the business world who would think that’s enough insurance,” Keigo sighed. “But I believe you’re reasonable. There’s nowhere for you to go. You’ll be in more danger if you get lost, and suffer unbearable consequences if the Society finds you. So for godsake, be good.”

“Bye Keigo!” Syuusuke called cheerfully, as Keigo stepped out the door. “Have fun at school!”

The brunette hardly waited two seconds after the door clicked closed, before dragging Seiichi to the closet. They then spent two hours, with Seiichi modeling different clothes, before the white eared nekomin finally gave a nod of approval. 

“I always wondered what real nekomin clothes were like,” Seiichi spoke quietly, still getting used to speaking and not being punished. He turned slowly in the mirror, swishing his dark tail through the blue ruffles and finding them incredibly comfortable. “But they weren’t something we could just buy in stores, and they seemed really expensive. So Mom made a hole in the back… she sewed in a scrunchy.” 

He felt his eyes water, when he thought of Saori, pricking her fingers and laughing as she hand sewed in a black scrunchy. Once Seiichi was old enough, he learned to sew them on too, and also to laugh when he pricked his fingers. 

“Mmm,” Syuusuke hummed, then dove for his sketch book. After a few minutes, he held up a perfectly proportioned sketch of pants, angled to show the back, where a hole surrounded by what was undoubtedly a scrunchy was.

“That’s amazing…” Seiichi touched the drawing, feeling like his school uniform pants had been sketched on the page. “Yes, it’s exactly like this.”

“How clever.” The brunette hummed and drew a few more things on the page, but without letting Seiichi see, then closed the sketchbook and set it back down on the desk.

Seiichi looked back at his reflection, at the white dress with broad, blue stripes. The ruffles at the middle fit in perfectly.

He couldn’t really feel ashamed at that point of being dressed like a girl. After all, it was nice just to be dressed.

A small gasp escaped his lips, when he turned to see Syuusuke. The brunette wore an off-white dress made of several layers of ruffles that cascaded down from his neck to his thighs, and blanketed around his shoulders. It accentuated his body in all the right places, without being bulky, and the simple color made his light blue eyes sparkle stand out brighter than usual. 

Syuusuke was undeniably cute.

With a small smile he seemed to always wear, Syuusuke took Seiichi’s hand and led him toward the door.

“Remember you promised,” Syuusuke sounded a little nervous, and Seiichi supposed he’d have to earn the brunette’s trust. Then again, it sounded like Syuusuke was responsible for Seiichi as well, and if Seiichi ran from him… what would happen to Syuusuke?

The moment they stepped out the door, Seiichi knew running away was never an option.

They were in the middle of the woods.

The house, or studio, or whatever it was, was built in the middle of nowhere. Trees stood thick and tall everywhere he looked, and as they walked around the walls, he saw why the back wall had no windows. The house was built into a slope.

They were in the middle of the woods, halfway up a hill… maybe a mountain. Sunlight glared through thick leaves, as he tried to make a guess as to where they were. But other than being sure they were still in Japan… he just didn’t know.

“Am I,” he gulped, squeezing Syuusuke’s hand a little harder. “Allowed to ask where we are?”

“We’re in Tokyo,” Syuusuke chuckled, and then outright laughed at the shocked expression Seiichi made. “I know, most of Tokyo is buildings. We’re on the edge. Father owns half of this mountain and most of the property below.” He waved his arm among the trees, as if this exemplified the massive landscape that made up the Atobe estate. 

Seiichi could see nothing but trees.

_Tokyo… I’m in Tokyo. … I wonder if…_ He shook away his thoughts, knowing he shouldn’t be so hopeful. Tokyo was a big city. No matter how many people he knew there, he wouldn’t be able to find any of them. If he could even find his way out of the woods.

Syuusuke seemed to know exactly where he was going, as he lead them among the trees. Seiichi noticed a path, leading in the opposite direction of where they were going, and wondered if that was where Keigo went. He couldn’t imagine the wealthy teen going far by foot.

The trees cleared in a burst of bright light, and Seiichi was thankful he’d kept hold of Syuusuke’s hand, as suddenly they were only inches away from a steep ledge. 

“This is the best place to see,” the brunette smiled, his white tail flicking as he took a seat on a pile of leaves, and patted the spot next to him for Seiichi. 

Blinking away the brightness, Seiichi looked out into the clear air. Below the steep slope of trees, amidst a thin haze, thousands upon thousands of buildings spread out to the end of the horizon. He could make out a few especially tall towers, one of which he thought might have been Sky Tree, but it was too far away for him to tell. He’d never been to Tokyo before. He’d never in his memory even left his small town.

“Father owns everything down to the bottom of the hill. And up there -” Syuusuke pointed behind them, where massive trees blocked Seiichi’s view, “is the main house. Keigo said you were there before, but didn’t get to look around.”

The basement room. His training. His collar bolted to the wall. 

Syuusuke squeezed his hand, and Seiichi breathed out, forcing himself to focus on the moment. The city spread out before him. He’d never seen a sight like this.

“Don’t go out by yourself, okay? At least not until you’ve memorized your way around. You could slip on one of the steep slopes and it would take us a long time to find you.” Syuusuke spoke so seriously, and Seiichi felt more of that sinking guilt. Both Syuusuke and Keigo had meant well with their warning, not just to keep him prisoner, but to protect him.

“Has… anyone ever fallen?” Seiichi regretted the question the moment he saw the look on Syuusuke’s face, how those cerulean eyes dimmed.

“. . . What do you do to pass the time?” Seiichi changed the subject. He’d been meaning to ask, anyway. He didn’t think Syuusuke could spend all day sketching and staring out at Tokyo from afar. 

“Mmm,” Syuusuke squinted his eyes together in thought. “I have lots of hobbies. Hey, Keigo said you played tennis, yes?”

Cat ears flickering with excitement, Seiichi sat up with a happy nod. “We saw Echizen Ryouma on TV, so…” Saori never had a lot of money, but she’d pooled what she had to pay for tennis lessons. 

Syuusuke led him through the woods, and in minutes Seiichi had already lost track of where they were. To his relief, they soon came across a dirt path, which was fairly well maintained. It led them in a steep arc upward, and then suddenly flattened out.

A tennis court appeared, as suddenly as the cliff had. 

“Keigo took the good rackets to school, but I have mine and an extra one,” Syuusuke explained, as he led Seiichi around the court to a small building at the end. He opened it with a punch code, which he taught Seiichi. Inside was everything they would need, including maintenance equipment for the court, and even a spare net. 

He wondered what the ‘good’ rackets were, after Syuusuke handed him a Wilson Pro and was using a Prince Premier for himself. Seiichi had almost cried tears of joy when Saori bought him a Yonez Ezone last Christmas, not minding that it was slightly used. It had still been a better racket then what most of his fellow club members had.

They started off with a simple rally, Seiichi trying to warm up as he wondered if he had any stamina left. He’d lost a lot of muscle weight, but his muscle memory was still there, and once his tennis sense was triggered his skills began to flare. Syuusuke played more seriously too, and shocked Seiichi by busting out a tricky, complicated move in response to a hard smash Seiichi sent his way. 

For the first time since Saori’s death, Seiichi felt alive, happy to be back in his element, and amazed to be playing such a strong player, in such a strange place. He didn’t care about his limits, or exhaustion, or that he hadn’t exercised in months, he used everything he had and he loved it. Watching the ball, returning the ball, and scoring point after point, which he automatically kept track of, but he lost many too as the white eared nekomin kept bringing out the most fascinating techniques he’d ever seen. 

Finally they drew to the last point, which Seiichi took with a chord ball. 

“As I thought,” he panted, bent forward with his hands on his knees for support, “Nekomin are really strong.”

“No way,” Syuusuke laughed, even though he lay flat on the ground, breathing even harder. “Keigo is better than me.”

Seiichi laughed too, not really believing it. Then again, he thought his best friend could also beat Syuusuke, but not anyone else. 

Lunch arrived promptly at 12, and Syuusuke had an internal clock to rival a smartphone, as they slipped into the house mere minutes before the servants knocked. Of course, the servers did not wait for an invitation, and Syuusuke had explained the knock would be a mere courtesy to not startle anyone inside. 

“If Keigo’s in here naked, or having sex or something, he’ll say something so they don’t come in,” Syuusuke smiled, as if Keigo’s embarrassment was all that mattered. 

Steamed salmon and a side of mashed potatoes and asparagus were delicately arranged on each plate. Seiichi wondered if he’d get used to the stiff formality of it all, but it was such a relief from eating out of a dog bowl, he didn’t really care. He was just glad the servants left, so he wouldn’t have to think about table manners. 

One rumor he’d realized was true - rich people’s pets ate better than poor people.

After lunch, Syuusuke said, was nap time. Seiichi had done nothing but nap for the last three months - he knew how long he’d been in training, now - and in his life before, he’d used every non-academic hour of sunlight for tennis and gardening. But Syuusuke looked so sleepy, so they crawled up to the loft together, and Syuusuke took Seiichi’s hand and crawled into his blankets, pulling the bluenette with him.

Seiichi blinked awake when the door slammed open. He couldn’t move - his legs and tail were wound up with Syuusuke’s, and they’d somehow squeezed on the twin bed together. He didn’t even remember getting on the twin bed, sure they’d aimed for the queen sized one, but now he realized his memory was fuzzy. 

“I’m not going up there,” Keigo’s demanding whine from the bottom of the ladder made Seiichi think of a pouting five year old. 

Syuusuke mumbled something and buried his head in the crook of Seiichi’s neck. His flickering tail gave away this consciousness, though, as it looped around Seiichi’s. 

Sighing, Seiichi decided they’d slept long enough, and pulled himself up. 

“ _Ouch_ ,” he groaned, feeling how sore his muscles were from the sudden exertion earlier. They’d be even worse tomorrow, he realized.

He crawled towards the ladder and peaked down, only to see Keigo glaring back up at him, with arms crossed and tapping one foot. 

“Tell Syuusuke the nurse is coming tomorrow, and we only have two more hours before dinner,” the diva, as Seiichi had nicknamed him in his mind, commanded.

Glancing back at the lump on the bed, Seiichi could see from Syuusuke’s limply raised tail that he’d heard. The brunette rolled slowly off the bed.

Both Keigo and Syuusuke seemed tense as they made their way across the hill, on the path that Keigo had left on earlier. They didn’t go all that far by the time they reached another house, but glancing back, Seiichi couldn’t see their place through the trees.

This house was smaller, also built into the slope, but while the architecture seemed the same, the atmosphere was totally different. Thick curtains covered every window, even those up high, and the walls were a dull tan, unlike the nekomin house which was bright yellow. 

Keigo rapped on the door, before letting himself in. Seiichi stayed quiet, finding his throat constricting now that it was no longer just the two nekomin, along with the thick tension. He’d wanted to ask where they were going, but the mood was just too solemn. It was because, he realized, Syuusuke wasn’t smiling.

Inside the house was dark, and Seiichi blinked hard, not believing that nekomin had superior eyes like a cat. He’d never been able to see any better than his classmates. Once his eyes adjusted, he noticed heavy, dark colored furniture, wooden nightstands and tables, and multiple couches, each covered in two or three thick blankets. They took of their shoes, and instead of carpet, wood floors covered by thick rugs warmed his feet, and all three of them stepped in quietly.

The only light came from the TV, which cast a scratchy blue glow that changed every moment. It was muted, but he could see a shape, an outline of the person watching it, and from the flickering triangles at the top of the outline, he realized it was another nekomin.

Keigo turned on the lights.

Light brown locks flowed about pure white ears, that pressed down in stress as the nekomin turned to face them. Long lashes fell over half close cerulean eyes, and thin chapped lips turned down into a frown. Though Syuusuke and he himself were fairly androgynous in their dresses, he got the feeling that this nekomin was female, looking at her thin neck. Lines around her eyes gave away her age - she did not look old but she certainly wasn’t a teenager. 

She stayed silent on the couch, staring at them. Keigo put his hand on Syuusuke’s back, pushing him forward, and that was when Seiichi noticed how upset his blue eyed friend was, with ears pressed down and tail tense around his legs. 

Taking a determined breath, Seiichi moved over to Syuusuke, taking his hand to comfort him as Syuusuke’d done when Saitou was there. Syuusuke turned to look at him with thankful eyes, that small hand squeezing his, and then turned back to look at the nekomin on the couch.

Syuusuke opened his mouth, and then closed it, looking at Keigo with pleading eyes. But the diva shook his head and tilted it in the direction of the mystery nekomin, so Syuusuke bit his lower lip and took Seiichi with him to the couch.

Seiichi knew it was a woman now, as they drew close. Her chest blossomed tellingly along with the strong jut of her hip. But she was skinny, not like him or Syuusuke, really skinny, with sunken cheeks and bony hands. Her hair was even longer than he expected, but thin and scraggly. She would have been so beautiful if she looked healthier.

“Mom,” Syuusuke whispered, as if sharing a terrible secret. “This is Seiichi, my new friend.” He flinched when her hand moved out towards his face. Those bony fingers did no more than stroke his hair, but she frowned deeply and said nothing. “Seiichi’s going to be living here with Keigo and me.”

She pulled her hand away, and didn’t look at Seiichi. Keigo came over too, and patted her head. She closed her eyes as he pet her ears and sighed.

They didn’t stay any longer. Outside the house, Seiichi felt like he could breath again. Keigo and Syuusuke looked even more upset than before.

“Thank you for not saying anything,” Keigo sighed, after several minutes of silent walking. “Yumiko takes it upon herself to teach other nekomin not to talk. She would have been upset.”

That wasn’t why Seiichi hadn’t said anything. The way the atmosphere had been, he didn’t know what to say. It was so strange looking at Keigo, who was not his flamboyant rich boy self. 

“She seemed worse,” Syuusuke’s voice trembled, and he wrung his hands together. With his head lowered, his bangs hid his expression with their shadow. “Maybe I should… eat with her, you know, like before.”

Keigo didn’t answer. Seiichi knew it was not his place to ask questions, but he realized that whatever was going on, it was going to affect him, and he had the right to know.

“Why doesn’t she live in the same house?” He asked. He couldn’t really imagine her living with them, but if she was Syuusuke’s mom…

“She’s sick,” Keigo answered, his voice strangely stoic. “A nurse comes every few days to give her treatments, and it was better for her to have her own space. We had the second guest house, so we moved her in there. She also can’t climb the ladder.” He spoke like this was a rote answer he’d given many times. 

There were so many more things Seiichi wanted to ask, but he realized he couldn’t. The darkness of the room, the stale air… they hadn’t moved Yumiko there to heal her.

She was there to die.

He couldn’t imagine Syuusuke spending his days with her, isolated and watching her growing more and more sick. If the brunette was this upset just visiting her… seeing her constantly would destroy him.

Syuusuke went into the house first, and Keigo came up next to Seiichi and whispered in his ear, “I’m glad you’re here.”

Was that it then? Did they buy him to keep Syuusuke company, to distract him while his mother reached the end of her days?

He felt warm. He didn’t want to stay here forever, but he didn’t mind helping Syuusuke, who had been so kind to him today.

Dinner was some sort of ethnic fusion, which Seiichi guessed was based on Indian food but he doubted chicken was usually served with such a delicate arrangement. He’d never liked junk food, but suddenly he craved a hamburger. He wondered if Keigo had ever eaten such a thing. Or Syuusuke, but somehow he thought Syuusuke would like fast food.

He showered first. When he came out, Syuusuke and Keigo were sitting on the couch. Making out. With their heads smashed together and tongues extended and saliva dripping down their chins.

Blushing, Seiichi backed against the bathroom door. He’d forgotten about that part. Keigo pulled back to look at him, leaving Syuusuke moaning and leaning in to continue.

“You could join us,” the diva smirked, and Seiichi couldn’t interpret his expression as anything other than lustful.

He escaped to the loft. He felt stupid for feeling like he’d connected with the presumptuous diva, for feeling pity for them both. How could they think about sex after… after seeing Yumiko. 

He rubbed his knees together, cuddling with the comforter. It didn’t seem like Keigo forced himself on Syuusuke. The nekomin looked just as eager, and there was still that first kiss Seiichi wanted to confront him about. 

But maybe Syuusuke had been taught to want sex. The trainers had spent so much time touching Seiichi, stimulating his puberty and making him orgasm, making him enjoy all the things they did to him. It had been so painful, so shameful, but by the end they didn’t even need to give him a hand job, he would come just from the sensation of a cock rubbing his g-spot, sending him over. 

He buried his red hot face in the pillow. He was getting hard, remembering all the sex, and the image of the two beautiful teens kissing downstairs… he hated his own body, hated how it betrayed him again and again.

He woke up in the middle of the night, and realized he still had a raging hard on. He didn’t see Syuusuke in the other bed, so he crawled down the ladder. Sure enough, the white eared nekomin was sleeping peacefully on the couch, with a blanket laid hastily on top of him. Keigo was nowhere to be seen.

Biting back a moan, he came in the shower. Seiichi was no stranger to masturbation, but he hadn’t done this by himself in over three months, and it seemed weird. He also wasn’t used to sharing a room.

With endorphins swimming around his brain, he couldn’t sleep, so he browsed through the books, as quietly as he could so as not to wake Syuusuke. The first three rows were all textbooks, and it took him a while to realize what was weird about them. Keigo and he were the same age, yet the subjects were all levels above what Seiichi had been studying. Multivariable calculus, organic chemistry… he didn’t think his high school even had classes in this.

_Rich people schools,_ he thought, noting that there also volumes on art history and sociology.

The bottom rows had literature, but Seiichi didn’t feel up for reading the classics. He came across what looked like fantasy, something about dragon riders, and figured it’d be easy to read and would help him sleep. He wondered if he could ask Keigo to get him specific books.

He curled up in the loft, using the lamp he’d moved, and was reading something about dragon eggs when he fell asleep.

* * *

Sunlight beat down through the high windows, but it was Syuusuke shaking him that woke him up.

“Sei... Seiichi. Father has a guest, and they asked for you.” 

Syuusuke looked upset, his brow wrinkled in worry, and in one hand he clenched a smart phone. 

“... You have a phone?” Seiichi blinked, dragging himself out of bed. The book fell to the ground, but he moved it back onto his pillow to finish later. 

“Oh no, nekomin can’t use cell phones. It’s Keigo’s. One of them,” Syuuske frowned, then showed Seiichi a text.

_Business partner/Society. Sei not Syuu._

“One of the servants is my friend,” Syuusuke whispered conspiratorially. “He texts me warnings when Keigo’s not here.”

They went down to change, but after that just sat on the couch watching the first show that came on the tv. They had to act like they didn’t know anything, Syuusuke explained. 

A knock on the door made Seiichi’s heart jump. _Don’t react,_ he reminded himself. _Don’t talk. Don’t talk. Don’t talk._

The door opened after a few seconds, and a maid came in. She didn’t say anything to either of them, but took Seiichi’s arm and tugged him toward the door.

He went with her without a fuss, but glanced back at Syuusuke, who was watching him from the couch with worried eyes.

They walked for a while, and Seiichi could see why there’d been so much time between the text and her appearance. A huge, white building - the estate, he realized, grew before them, and she led him past pristine cut grass and down a path lined with rose bushes, then up a few stairs and in a nicely carved wooden door. Even though it was the fanciest door he’d ever seen, he could tell it was only a side entrance.

He was lost the moment they went through the mansion. But he supposed it didn’t matter, since it seemed he wouldn’t be living here. _They keep us out in the doghouse,_ he mused. He felt wistful as they passed many incredible paintings - he’d always been interested in art. 

They went through a door that led to another hallway, and Seiichi knew they were there. The door they’d passed through was deceptive, making it look like it led to just a room, and not a full wing of the mansion. Now they were in a polished hallway with fine wood walls, and rich, flowery red carpet. Four identical doors lay symmetrically across from each other, the one they’d came from being one of them, and then at the end were a pair of double doors, with a well kept, antique looking chair placed just outside.

After knocking on the double doors, the maid waved for him to sit in the chair, which was more comfortable than he’d thought. She hurried away unceremonious, back through the faux door.

Suddenly, it struck him that he could leave. Just stand up and walk away. 

_They’d catch me before I made it out of the hallway,_ he sighed, shaking his head. He was too afraid of the consequences, anyway.

The door opened, and a tall man with golden brown hair stepped out. His gaze fell over Seiichi, looking him up and down, and there was something about the look in his narrow eyes that made the nekomin shiver.

“I shouldn’t be surprised. He’s as beautiful as Syuusuke,” said the man, his voice cold and hot at the same time.

“Bring him in the office,” came a familiar voice - _the businessman… Keigo’s father_ , he realized. “Unless you’d like a more comfortable room?”

The tall man grabbed Seiichi’s upper arm, gripping it carelessly tight and pulling him into the room. 

“Here’s fine,” said the man. “I just wanted a go at your new nekomin, since everyone’s talking about it.”

“Feeling left out?” asked the businessman, who was sitting behind a wide mahogany desk and tapping on a tablet. 

“I voted to allow him to come here,” the man shrugged. “The Board is still iffy on this one. Seems well behaved though.”

He shoved Seiichi on a couch on the side of the room, making him face the wall. Seiichi held his breath as the man reached under his skirt, groping at his exposed parts.

_No,_ he moaned but kept the human words inside. _Don’t talk. Don’t talk._

A thick finger shoved inside his hole, making him whimper. 

“Saitou did a good job,” said the businessman matter-of-factly, as if his visitor wasn’t molesting his pet on the couch. 

The man hummed and pulled out his finger. The sound of a zipper being undone made his heart race.

He should be used to this. He shouldn’t care any more. 

But he did.

The man placed his hands on Seichi’s thighs, lifting his skirt and pulling apart his butt crack with his thumbs. Moving closer, he pressed Seiichi’s tail against his back, though it was a minor discomfort compared to the pain as the man pressed the head of his cock into Seiichi’s hole.

“..Nn….aaahh….aaaah!” Seiichi couldn’t stop himself from screaming, as the man forced his way inside. Not that the trainers had ever cared. Seiichi could scream and whimper and groan, as long as he didn’t say any comprehensible words. In fact, they liked it when he made that sort of noise.

“Ah, ah, ah.” The man pushed in and out at a steady pace, murmuring in pleasure. Seiichi braced himself against the wall, his knees and thighs digging against the couch cushion. He was getting hard, feeling warm, the man was hitting his prostate spot with vigor, and Seiichi’s legs began to shake. 

The sound of slapping flesh filled the room, along with Seiichi’s moans and the man’s grunts. In and out. In and out. Seiichi couldn’t count, and then… “Oooh.”

Cum splattered against the wall, and dripped onto the couch. The man shoved harder, encouraged, making Seiichi hit the wall with every pound, until he came too with a shout. 

The man pressed into him for several more seconds, before pulling out with a heavy sigh. Seiichi tumbled backwards, falling onto the couch but then rolling off onto the hard floor with a small bang. 

Neither men went to help him, but went on to discuss an overseas transaction, as the man wiped himself clean. 

Seiichi curled up and trembled, bruised and feeling cum leak from his asshole, which also felt a little torn.

It was a reminder of why he was really there.

He was only a sex toy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been blabbering about this fic for a while ^^;; so AlexisMeade drew [this beautiful fanart](http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i233/yoshikochan/Fanfiction/YukiFujiNekomin_zps84301606.jpg) of Seiichi and Syuusuke ~ I just knew I had to keep working on this fic no matter what after I saw this. Thank you<3


	3. Prodigy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seiichi learns about Syuusuke's life as a nekomin.

“How are you feeling?” Keigo leaned over Seiichi, who stretched out on his stomach on the couch, his head turned at an awkward angle as his cheek pressed against the cushion. 

He didn’t talk. 

They didn’t want him to talk. Then they did. Then they punished him.

“Hn.” 

That condescending little grunt made Seiichi’s eyebrows narrow. What made it worse was Keigo’s hand, that reached down to massage Seiichi’s ears.

He was not going to be fooled. Even though the rubs felt nice. 

Syuusuke sketched furiously on his sketch pad, his knees tucked up to form a desk even though there was a proper one behind him. 

“I’m done!” He announced, and turned the sketch book over to show them both.

A detailed picture of what was no doubt Seiichi, spread out on the page. He was playing tennis, in a cropped tank top that showed his stomach, and a pair of shorts. His tail curled around him, as he bent down to receive the ball.

“How are you going to make _that_ work?” Keigo snorted, reaching out for the sketch book to take a closer look.

“With elastic around the tail hole,” Syuusuke beamed. “Seiichi told me. I think we can make it comfortable.”

He wasn’t just making talented sketches, Seiichi realized. Syuusuke was trying to design clothes. 

“Do the doodle, and we’ll make a mock-up.” Keigo spoke like the businessman, closing out a deal.

Syuusuke switched sketchbooks and pulled out the crayons.

“Why don’t I show you how this works,” Keigo drawled, and Seiichi realized the diva was talking to him. He didn’t move.

Strutting over to the second book case with one hand on his hip, Keigo fingered a row of magazines, then pulled one out. He checked the cover then checked a few more, before selecting one he liked.

“Here,” the diva batted the magazine on Seiichi’s shoulder, until the nekomin finally sat up and took it. He knew he couldn’t win a contest of enduring annoyance by a filthy rich brat. 

On the magazine’s cover, a slightly younger Syuusuke posed daintily in the same white dress Seiichi had worn, the one with broad, blue stripes. A daisy tucked behind his ear made him seem even more delicate.

Below the magazine’s title, bold words called out: _Exclusive Feature! How a nekomin and an ingenious billionaire bring fashion to fashionable pets_

He turned to the indicated page, and was greeted with a drawing in crayon. It was completely abstract - a long white triangle with blue stripes going through it, with a peach colored circle balancing at the top, and two tiny white triangles attached to the circle like ears. The background was a mixture of colors, blue and red and green scribbled around like a young child’s scribbles, but the triangle was well defined, and there was no coloring over the lines. 

A subtitle for the picture read, _Artwork by the Atobe Family nekomin, beloved Syuusuke, is transformed to real clothing designs._

The next page was filled an intricate sketch, of Syuusuke modelling the dress, and it was undoubtedly Syuusuke’s work, even though Seiichi thought the sketches he made now were even better. 

_Atobe Keigo, the eccentric heir of the Atobe conglomerate, develops the design and even manages the business end of things, the thirteen-year-old CEO of his own company._

He skimmed through some of the article, before throwing the magazine on the ground.

“This is bullshit. You didn’t do any of those designs,” Seiichi snapped, then heated up as he realized he’d lost it and spoken words. He curled up on the couch, covering his face and trying to calm down.

“But Seiichi, nekomin can’t draw like this,” said Syuusuke, holding his sketchbook close to his chest. “The Society would kill me if they knew. Keigo’d give me credit if he could.”

“Syuusuke’s designs aren’t just pretty pictures,” Keigo drawled, waving his hand in the air. “They’re practical and comfortable for nekomin, taking into consideration the cat ears and tail. Before we started manufacturing them, all of Syuusuke’s clothes were custom tailored. But other nekomin didn’t have anything - they either wore human clothes they were stuffed into, or nothing at all. It’s not like they could chose and complain.”

“What are you trying to say,” Seiichi grumbled, hugging his knees.

“We took Syuusuke’s designs and made them popular. Branded them. Syuusuke modelling the first ones himself, then we sent them to Echizen Ryouma. Now they’re standard for most nekomin owners, and there are a couple copycat brands, which is fine by us. It might not be a big deal to you, but for nekomin, it’s a huge improvement in their quality of life.”

“See?” Syuusuke smiled, picking the magazine off the floor. “It doesn’t matter who gets credit. It’s helping people, people like us.”

“You should still be angry,” Seiichi growled, but Syuusuke just laughed as he put the magazine back in its place. 

Keigo was watching him with his fingers against his face.

Seiichi glared back.

“Good. Now that you’re done being a mute, with the two people you don’t have to be a mute with, and in the one place you’re safe, we can eat dinner,” the diva smirked.

Thinking of Saitou’s visit, Seiichi wasn’t sure how safe this place was. He thought about the cell phone texts. Syuusuke had shown him more - the texts had warned him of Saitou’s visit, which is how he’d known to stop sketching. They had time, between visitors entering the mansion, to them being led down to the nekomin house. 

He chewed on an Italian olive, wondering what he could do. Designing clothes gave Syuusuke a sense of purpose, he supposed. Seiichi had always planned to finish school, and try to get a university scholarship. It was a laughable dream, now that he knew the truth about being a nekomin, but it was so simple before. Before, when he was just a normal schoolboy, who happened to have cat ears and a tail.

Keigo was watching him again, with that stupid finger pose, and Seiichi dug into his pasta with a scowl. He felt like he’d been set up, goaded into thinking this way.

He would be lucky, really, if he wasn’t punished tomorrow for the talking he’d done today. Syuusuke said it couldn’t be helped, that if someone came over and wanted sex with either of them, it would be impolite for the Atobes to not offer up their pets. Or something disgusting like that. He couldn’t really understand through the brunette’s sobbing apology.

The next few days passed without incident. His back felt better. Syuusuke massage him and his tail, and gave him salve for his private hole. The bruises healed as he finished the last of the dragon riders series. He noticed every book had a sticker on the inside of the cover, _Property of Atobe Keigo_.

Nekomin couldn’t even own books.

Syuusuke disappeared on Friday, for several hours, even missing lunch. When he got back, he begged Seiichi not to tell Keigo, which was strange, since up until then, it seemed like Syuusuke told Keigo everything. But the scariest thing was how beautifully Syuusuke lied to diva, making up all the things he’d done that day, so the amount of his chatter matched every other day.

Saturday morning, Keigo came to the house before sunrise. They ate a light breakfast, and headed over to the tennis court.

Seiichi learned what the ‘good’ rackets were - a Head Prestige Pro, and a Dunlop Max. He supposed the only ones more expensive were vintage collectibles no one would actually play with. 

He flipped the Wilson in his hand, then bent down into position, his lips tightening seriously as he prepared to receive Keigo’s serve.

The diva _was_ better than Syuusuke, Seiichi realized by the second game, panting hard in disbelief. While the silver haired teen didn’t have as many fancy technique, he had an incredible tennis sense and talent for seeing openings and weak points. He was also far more determined to win - he was _used_ to winning, Seiichi grinned, as he smacked a difficult ball back towards the diva. 

He wouldn’t be winning today.

“I can’t believe you weren’t fucking scouted,” Keigo panted, throwing a towel over his head. “Your team should have made it to Nationals with a player like you.”

Smirking, Seiichi rolled the ball in his hand, glad to see he’d rebuilt his stamina. Next time, the game wouldn’t go to tie break, he decided. He’d win 6-0. 

“Nekomin are banned from tournaments, since we have an unfair advantage,” Seiichi shrugged, as he put the racket away in a case.

“Of what? Your ears? You tail?” Keigo snorted. “Your leg muscles are the same. You aren’t any taller or more flexible.”

“Then why am I so much better than everyone else?” Seiichi frowned, eyes narrowing.

“Because you’re a fucking prodigy,” the diva snarled, pushing himself up. “This is so messed up. I can’t believe there’s a tennis player like you in Japan.”

“... But Echizen Ryouma-”

“Is also a prodigy. That kid’s ridiculously talented, but it has nothing to do with being a nekomin. Not his talent, not yours.” 

Seiichi felt like he’d been hit by a log.

He’d really thought… he’d held back all those years. The team accepted him, let him play with them, and then he even became an honorary regular. But they’d looked up the rules, and there was specifically one about nekomin not being on teams. And it had made sense, if he was genetically superior...at least he’d thought so...

“If I had played against other teams, and gotted scouted….”

“No!” Syuusuke cried. “Then the Society would have noticed you sooner.”

“... Syuusuke’s right,” Keigo sighed. “You don’t know how lucky you are. You were so isolated in that town, and the people there had no trouble forging paperwork. They made up a birth certificate for you, did you know that? Social media might have given you away, but I guess farming villagers don’t have time for hipster blogs.”

It’d been so hard. All the students that he beat, even the high schoolers. Their school didn’t have a lot of money, and probably couldn’t have sent them beyond regionals, anyway. But between him and his best friend…. 

It hurt. Physically. That he couldn’t really play on the team. Syuusuke was right, he would have gotten in trouble sooner. But that didn’t make it hurt any less.

“.... I accepted it. Just like Syuusuke accepts not getting credit for his work.”

“I’m glad they have that rule,” said Syuusuke. “It protected you, and you didn’t even know it. You did the right thing, following it even if your papers said you were normal.” He took Seiichi’s hand, squeezing it before he went to put the racket bag away.

“You don’t have to accept it,” Keigo stood behind him and whispered in his ear, when Syuusuke was too far away to hear. “Be angry, Seiichi. Play their game while you have to. But don’t for a second believe that they’re right.”

* * *

Seiichi rolled the tennis ball in his hand, laying on his back on the couch. 

It’d been a week, and Keigo owed him another match. The diva had given him far too much to think about. Not just about how, despite being so far from the Society, he’d still been manipulated by them. But also about Keigo and Syuusuke’s relationship, and how differently the two thought about the nekomins’ lives. 

And then there was Syuusuke’s mystery disappearance, which happened again on Friday. The brunette seemed more nervous this time, now that he realized he couldn’t slip out without anyone knowing. But he made Seiichi promise not to tell, and it seemed so important to him, of course the bluenette let it go.

But he felt like Keigo expected something from him, and he wanted to know what it was.

“Syuusuke, what do you think of Keigo?” 

“I love him. He’s my brother,” Syuusuke shrugged nonchalantly, not looking up from his latest sketch, which was various angles of the same decadent skort. 

“I can tell you feel that way, but….” Seiichi sat up, suddenly realizing what it was bothering him. “How long have you lived here?”

“My whole life.”

“They bought you when you were that young?”

Laughing, Syuusuke put down his pencil and looked properly up at Seiichi. “It’s true some nekomin are bought to be childhood companions. But it’s different for me. I was born here. Keigo’s mom bought Yumiko, and then she had me.”

He didn’t know why he’d assumed Syuusuke had been bought in an auction, the way he’d been. And he’d forgotten about Yumiko. It made much more sense, how close Syuusuke was to Keigo, and yet the brunette wasn’t meekly obedient. Keigo didn’t try to control Syuusuke, or treat him like a pet. 

“I’m sorry,” Syuusuke said suddenly, standing up hugging his sketchbook. “I just realized you don’t know.”

“Know what?” Seiichi asked, tilting his head.

“You know Atobe Kenichi, Keigo’s dad?”

He nodded. The businessman. The one who bought him. Who raped away his virginity and put him through unbearable torture and shame. 

“Kenichi is my dad, too.”

The blood drained from Seiichi’s face.

Keigo and Syuusuke didn’t just act like brothers. They actually were.


	4. Contract

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lies and excuses were all there to protect, they told him, again and again. The anger started to boil. And then he remembered...

This was wrong.

Keigo and Syuusuke were moaning downstairs, clearly having moved beyond a make out session, while Seiichi cuddled with his pillow.

It wasn’t really the sex that bothered him. He’d had the thought that it was wrong for brothers to have sex, but then again, there were a lot of people who thought it was wrong for two guys. And he’d figured out none of that mattered for nekomin, anyway. 

But Syuusuke was an Atobe, too. He should have lived in the mansion, and gone to a fancy private school with Armani uniforms and diamonds on their tie clips. He should have owned a dozen cell phones, and a Maserati he wasn’t old enough to legally drive, and market shares in the family business.

_Nekomin can’t own property._

Seiichi couldn’t blame Keigo. The teen came everyday, to keep Syuusuke company. And he brought him things. Today Keigo brought a textbook, from a class he said he was done with, that was an introduction to anthropology. Syuusuke took it with glee, and now was having thank you sex, or at least that’s how Seiichi read into it.

All the books said Property of Atobe Keigo. All the video games and dvds too. Even Syuusuke’s sketch book, the one with his detailed designs, had the sticker on the front. 

It was all to emphasize that Syuusuke owned nothing, even the things he used.

_Be angry._

Seiichi was angry. He was angry and frustrated and scared. And it bothered him that Syuusuke didn’t feel any of those things. The nekomin seemed perfectly content, and happy with how he lived every day.

Locked away, isolated from other people, forced to lie and act like a cat. 

“Seiichi,” Keigo called quietly, and peaked out from under his blanket to see the diva sticking his head up over the loft. It was the closest Keigo’d ever come to being up there. “Syuusuke’s sleeping. Can we talk?”

Seiichi followed him quietly out of the house. The diva had cleaned up fast, already back in pants and a shirt, and left Syuusuke on the couch with a blanket.

They walked through woods, until they reached the cliff. Seiichi was surprised - Keigo didn’t seem like the hiking type, and he hadn’t expected him to know Syuusuke’s secret places. But this place was so private, well hidden from the main road. 

“Syuusuke said he told you about the family, and that you got upset.”

“How am I supposed to feel?” Seiichi dead panned. 

“The way you did. You get it, I can tell. You’re the only one. No one else understands. Not even Syuusuke.” Keigo stuck his hands in his pocket, and stared out at the city. “He thinks you’re mad because no one told you. That’s what he always does. He has this way of twisting logic so that everything in his life is good, and that just because he wasn’t raised at a breeder, he has the best life a nekomin could have.”

Seiichi sat down on the ledge, looking at Keigo. He felt like for the first time, he could really see the silver haired teen, could understand him.

Keigo was angry.

“Do you know about genetic copyrights?”

Seiichi shook his head.

“It started with genetically modified foods. Companies can actually copyright the genetic codes use for the modifications. In America, small farmers were sued for copyright violation, because bees and other pollinators transported pollen from genetically modified crops raised by corporations, and the modified genes unintentionally ended up in the small farmers’ crops. The lawsuits held, and set a precedent for copyrighting genetic sequences.

“No one will talk about it, but nekomin are genetically modified humans. It took three generations to perfect the sequence, but there you have it - Syuusuke has a human father, but the nekomin genes are dominant. The Nekomin Society owns the copyright on the genetic code - they _own_ every nekomin.”

A cold breeze picked up along the cliff, blowing back their hair and giving Seiichi goose bumps.

“Each nekomin buyer has a contract with the Society. They have to abide by that contract, or the nekomin can be taken away. Even Syuusuke, my own brother, who was born here, who belongs here…”

Seiichi put his hand over Keigo’s, which was trembling.

“Syuusuke’s conception was a mistake. Only licensed breeders, controlled by the Society, can breed nekomin. But my father is a master of contracts, and he had a breeding license in hand by the time Syuusuke was born. Even so…”

Keigo folded their hands together, and turned to look at Seiichi with a serious light in his dark gray eyes.

“When my father worked out Syuusuke’s contract, he changed something in the Society. It wasn’t intentional, but he changed a fundamental rule. Since then, there have been a few other nekomin born outside of breeders. Echizen Ryouma is one of them. That’s why his owner - his dad, really, though no one outside of the Society knows that - taught him tennis.

“When the videos of Ryouma playing tennis circulated - it could have been bad. But Echizen Nanjiroh played a trick. Rather than fighting the Society, he copied what my father did, and played along with them. He reasoned that of course nekomin would be good at tennis, since it was a game with balls, and didn’t cats like balls? It was stupid, but the Society realized that rather than fighting with him, they could use it to promote themselves. And now Ryouma has his own TV show, though it’s heavily edited. 

“All Nanjiroh wanted to do was play his beloved tennis with his son. And in doing so, he made it so that nekomin could play sports. Not just fetch, but serious sports, with equipment, which before nekomin were supposedly too stupid to use.”

“... My mom read about that, that nekomin naturally liked tennis. That’s why she helped me learn to play,” Seiichi said quietly. He couldn’t believe how naive he was. All of this had been going on, and even in his small town, had been affecting his life.

“There was one other case that made a change. An owner, ignorant about the Society’s intentions, sent pictures to a newspaper of drawings his seven year old nekomin had made. The Society didn’t find out until after the publishing - it was a serious blow to them. But then Saitou, who was still in college but had an unusual interest in nekomin, wrote an article, comparing the drawings to those made by monkeys and elephants. It was a brilliant move, because it took the humanity out of the drawings and made nekomin just one more animal that can draw. But it’s thanks to that that Syuusuke can do his doodles, and get credit for at least the inspiration. Suddenly everyone had their nekomin drawing with crayons.”

“What are you getting at?” Seiichi breathed.

“I want to change something too. I don’t know what, but I want to make life better for Syuusuke. But I have to protect him, too.” Atobe ran his fingers through his hair. “When we heard about you… I was so… here was a nekomin, who went to school and lived a normal life. The kind of life Syuusuke would have been happy to live. Even my friends, who have nekomin and talk to them like I talk to Syuusuke, they don’t believe it. They don’t believe you kept up in the classes and activities. They’re all so fucking brainwashed. But _I_ know.”

“I can’t believe I’m so unusual,” Seiichi chuckled bitterly. He’d had to prove himself, yes, but not like this. No one at his school questioned if he could read or draw a picture. “And my school was way behind yours, in terms of subjects.”

“. . . Wait, you think,” Keigo started laughing. “Those text books I gave Syuusuke. Yeah, he thinks they were mine. But those are all college books. My classmates may all have private tutors, but we’re not any smarter than other fourteen year olds.”

Seiichi stared at him with an open mouth.

“I used to give Syuusuke my work books after I finished them, since he always asked about school. But he went through them so fast. So my - with help, I got the next year’s books, and gave them to him. And then he was through all the grade level things. . .”

With one eyebrow crooked, Keigo gave him a bitter smile. “Syuusuke’s gone through enough subjects to have a college degree.”

* * *

Syuusuke squeezed his hand, as they waited by the door in their matching green dresses. 

“Seiichi, please remember - you don't have to be an animal. You only have to pretend to be an animal."

Seiichi opened his mouth, but Syuusuke pressed his fingers against his mouth, stopping him from talking. His fingers felt warm and soft against the bluenette's lips.

"I know, it’s hard to pretend. But don't you see? They'll think they've turned you into an animal, but really, by pretending, you're more human than ever - only humans pretend."

A knock on the door quieted them, and then servant came in. As the maid had done with Seiichi a few weeks before, the servant took Seiichi by the arm, while waving to Syuusuke to follow him. The walk was silent and business like, but Seiichi’s heart began to race.

_Don’t talk. Act like a cat. Pretend._

_“Be angry.”_

He shook Keigo’s voice out of his head. He decided he was going to pretend, not just for himself but for Syuusuke. He would play their game, until he learned how to use their game against them.

He thought he’d braced himself, but the sight of Saitou, sitting in a chair inside Kenichi’s office, made his pupils dilate. 

Then a man stepped in front of him, blocking his view with a mustard yellow suite.

He bit his tongue when he looked up. It was Mr. Baker.

_Society. Saitou. Sei + Syu._

The text meant an Executive Committee member from the Society was there, along with Saitou. 

He should have known. Syuusuke said all the Committee members would visit at some point, and the bluenette hadn’t seen Baker during his training.

“It must be nice, not having to pour your visitors tea,” Baker grinned, eyes looking down on him as that wide chin turned up.

Seiichi almost laughed, but instead let his eyes drift around the world in disinterest. Baker was a terrible actor. He wasn’t even close to as convincing as Saitou’s people, who looked at Seiichi as if he was a person, before tearing him down when he responded. 

Snorting, Baker turned to look at Saitou. “I’m impressed. He’s a completely different nekomin.”

“The training was successful,” Saitou smiled. “But the Atobes have done a fine job maintaining it.”

“You’re the last Committee member to visit us,” Kenichi said, standing up from behind his desk. “I made today’s appointment so you could test Seiichi’s progress before tomorrow's vote.”

“I figured as much, and I appreciate your bluntness. Of course I’ll be taking my turn with this... thing.” Baker’s eyes narrowing as his grin widened. “Though actually, it’s been a long time since I last saw Syuusuke. I was hoping to play with him first.”

“It’s been a long time for me as well,” Kenichi nodded, as if he hadn’t noticed the contempt in Baker’s voice. He came around the desk, and unzipped his pants. “I’ve been travelling with Christine, but cut my vacation time short when you accepted my meeting.” 

“Sei-pon,” Saitou said softly, waving to Seiichi to get his attention while the two businessmen talked. 

The bluenette hesitated for a moment, glancing at Syuusuke, but the brunette had this perfect little smile on his face, and wasn’t looking at him at all. Seiichi forced himself to look away, pretending to be disinterested then slowly notice Saitou’s waving hand, and sauntered over to him.

Patting his own knees, Saitou tilted his head to the side with a smile. Biting his tongue inside his mouth, Seiichi tucked up his feet, crawling onto Saitou’s lap the way he’d seen Syuusuke crawl onto the couch. He leaned on Saitou’s chest, tucking his head down submissively. He was terrified the trainer felt his heart pounding, but he couldn’t make it stop.

Saitou stroked his ears, as he’d done during training, whenever Seiichi did something right. The professor was was oddly skillful in his ministrations, and the nekomin somehow managed to relax. Long, bony fingers pet him kindly, and he closed his eyes with a content sigh...until he heard a loud moan.

Syuusuke’s head bobbed up and down, his tongue moving skillfully across Baker’s exposed penis. The gray haired man threw back his head, seated comfortably on the couch with Syuusuke positioned on hands and knees. Behind the nekomin, Kenichi had his fingers inside Syuusuke’s asshole, stretching him out.

Seiichi tried not to gasp. Saitou’s fingers pressed against his cheek, then slipped into his mouth, covertly pinching his tongue. 

It was one thing for Syuusuke to fuck Keigo, and another for his own father to plumb into him. Muffled mewls came from Syuusuke’s lips, as he continued to pleasure Baker while Kenichi pushed into him from behind. Baker’s eyes were fiery, while Kenichi’s were closed. 

Saitou’s thumb ran across his cheek, wiping away liquid Seiichi hadn’t realized was there. 

“How funny, kitties don’t cried,” Saitou quietly cooed, but Seiichi recognized it as a warning. He tried to make the tears stop, and at least managed to cry silently.

He hadn’t known it’d be this hard. He thought getting raped by multiple men was the worst thing that ever happened to him. He hadn’t known how horrible it would be, watching that rape happen to someone else. To his friend, who he had come to care deeply about.

Though slow, Kenichi’s thrusts went deeper and deeper, until finally he came with a grunt. He pulled out, standing up and pulling up his pants as he walked backwards. He hit the edge of his desk looking euphoric, and grabbed a tissue to clean himself with. 

Meanwhile Baker grabbed Syuusuke’s hair, yanking him up and forcing him to stop. The panting man was rock hard.

“I want Seiichi to ride me,” he declared, pushing Syuusuke away when the brunette moved back to finish the job.

“If that’s what you want, but I’ll have to show him how,” Saitou said, stroking down the raised hairs in Seiichi’s tail. 

“Why didn’t you teach him this already?” Baker snarled.

“I taught him to be obedient, not a prostitute.”

Saitou’s calm but chastising reply made Baker’s fists clench. But he took a few deep breaths through his nose and asked, “What do you recommend?”

“He’s an animal. He should be on his hands and knees like an animal.”

Seiichi didn’t try to fight it. He’d managed to stop crying, without either businessman noticing. He even held back a scream, turning it into a squeak when Baker slammed into him without preparation. He didn’t want Syuusuke to see how much pain he felt. Especially now that he knew how much it hurt to watch and not be able to do anything.

Baker thrust hard, but paused several times to catch his breath. Seiichi was glad in this position he couldn’t see the man. Saitou was motioning to Syuusuke, and then the brunette was in front of Seiichi’s eyes, then diving down underneath him.

Seiichi moaned in earnest as Syuusuke’s lips wrapped around his penis. The brunette kneeled low, turning his head to the side so he could deep throat all that Seiichi had. It was an incredible feeling, the way Syuusuke’s tongue molded around him, and even better knowing it was his attractive friend, and he had the weirdest thought, that he wished it was Keigo behind him.

He orgasimed, picturing the diva’s face.

He didn’t know when Baker came, and he didn’t care. When he collapsed, Syuusuke was there to catch him, and cuddled with him on the floor. 

The two businessmen discussed a few more things, then Kenichi offered to walk the men out. Saitou bent down to pet Syuusuke and Seiichi each one more time. 

“Such good kitties,” he cooed, as if talking to little children. 

Once Kenichi closed the door behind him, Seiichi cried silently in Syuusuke’s arms.

* * *

“How could your father do that to you,” Seiichi finally broke and asked, unable to swallow his dinner. Keigo had fencing lessons, and couldn’t join them till later that night, so now was the perfect time for them to talk about what happened.

Chewing on a piece of lettuce, Syuusuke had no trouble eating. “It’s not like that. Dad protected me. He’s really gentle, and he always uses lube. If it were someone else, it would hurt a lot more.”

Seiichi put down his fork.

“I’m not making excuses for him, I mean it,” Syuusuke pouted. “Dad’s never had sex with me unless people from the Society were there watching. If he didn’t make it look like he wanted me, they’d insist on their turn. . . . I mean it’s not a hundred percent. I’ve had sex at least once with everyone on the Council, including Mr. Baker. All the popular nekomin go through it. It’s good, it means they like me.”

Excuses was exactly what it sounded like.

But Seiichi didn’t see the point in arguing. He was just glad Syuusuke didn’t seem hurt. He himself was trying to hide a limp, having decided he wouldn’t show when he felt pain anymore.

What he couldn’t hide was how angry he was. He didn’t understand why they were treated this way. He’d begun to think nekomin were special, different - even in the safety of his town, he’d accepted he was different, too good at tennis to play serious games with his peers. 

But now that he knew another nekomin, he could see it wasn’t so. Syuusuke had his own unique personality, that had more to do with how he was raised then being a nekomin. Then there was Yumiko, who’d they’d gone to visit again, who didn’t talk, didn’t read, didn’t seem to do anything remotely outside of her nekomin role, even though she had the ultimate privacy. 

What had they done to her to make her that way?

Keigo insisted they were the same as other humans, and Seiichi knew the diva was right. They acted differently because they were treated differently. 

He was going to break, he realized. Saitou was going to visit, or Mr. Baker, or the golden haired man, and he would get so angry he wouldn’t be afraid, and do something that would lead to something horrible.

He skipped dinner, and tried to sleep instead. 

_A big, broad outline blocked out the moon’s light, reaching out to catch Seiichi as he tumbled over the barbed wire fence. The blanket had done its job, and both of them had only a few scratches._

_To tiny Seiichi, the drop felt like diving off a skyscraper. But he wasn’t scared. The outline caught him with strong arms and cupped him against a well toned chest - and ran._

_Cold air blew across their bare skin. Seiichi’s tail wrapped around the man’s arm, and he looked over the man’s shoulder at the building past the fence, shrinking in the distance as they ran down the road. More lights were turning on inside, and outside headlights began to shine._

_They ran until they came to a gas station. A white pick-up truck was parked by the convenience store entrance, with a mattress and other furniture piled up in the back. The man holding him dashed over to the truck, quietly as he could, and laid Seiichi among the furniture. With his tiny body, he was able to stay hidden under the legs of a chair._

_Looking up with big blue eyes, Seiichi looked one last time at the man. Naked and panting hard, the man had dark black hair, and matching black cat ears. Every dark hair on his sleek tail was raised, but he reached into the truck, petting Seiichi’s head and ears, taking a deep breath before dashing away._

_Seiichi stayed inside the back of the truck, hugging himself for warmth. Some time passed - it felt like forever for the little boy - the only thing happening was the passing of headlights. One of the pairs of headlights turned into the gas station, but Seiichi saw no more as the truck came to life, vibrating roughly, and he clung to the chair leg for dear life, having never been in a car before._

_The truck drove on for hours. He was hungry, and freezing without any clothes, but finally the sun rose, and the truck stopped at a restaurant. Seiichi’s hunger overcame him, and he stuck up his head._

_“Oh!” An elderly woman cried, looking startled. “Are you - … Saori, come over here. There’s a little boy in this truck.”_

They found him when he was four, in the back of a white truck, whose owner didn’t know anything about him. He was naked, bruised and cut all over, even sporting a black eye. That small town was even smaller then, and suspicious of outsiders, and Saori and her mother convinced the local sheriff that whoever did this to a child didn’t deserve to have that child back.

He didn’t know his name, but was able to recite his birth date. It was one of the few things he could say, and they thought his underdevelopment was because he was a nekomin, which the sheriff had heard rumors of but didn’t believe existed until that day.

The sheriff was close friends with the Yukimuras, and knew of Saori’s infertility, how it led to her divorce. So with help from the town’s two doctors, the town clerk, and the influential Sanada family, they made the paperwork that said the little nekomin was Saori’s child. They checked the papers every day, but nothing ever appeared about a missing nekomin, not in police reports either, that the sheriff checked.

So he grew up in that town, becoming one of them. Of course he and everyone else knew he was adopted - except those who lived far away, who accepted his paperwork for public school enrollment. 

Seiichi somehow knew the nekomin who helped him was his father, but he couldn’t remember anything before that terrifying night.

It hit him suddenly, now that he was thinking about it, that he must have been born at a breeder’s. 

He shot up in a cold sweat. A strange feeling passed through him, as he realized he’d been bred like an animal. 

Syuusuke was sleeping quietly in the queen sized bed, and Seiichi’s stomach was complaining about his skipped meal, so he crawled down from the loft as quietly as he could. The TV was on but muted, so he went over to turn it off, then froze, when he saw Keigo sitting on the couch. 

The diva was hunched over with his head in his hands. 

Seiichi placed a hand gently on his back, making the teen start then relax. Keigo straightened up, regaining his composure, but he seemed just as surprised he hadn’t noticed the nekomin come up to him.

“Want to go for a walk?” Seiichi offered, and the diva nodded and stood up.

The stars outside were breathtaking in number. Seiichi had had better views, though, hiking in the mountains that surrounded the town. He felt a wave of nostalgia, and thought he should come out at night more often.

He wasn’t on a schedule anymore. He didn’t need to go to bed at a certain time, or wake up to practice. Only meals and Keigo’s schedule gave them any sort of structure. 

He turned worried eyes towards the schoolboy, realizing tomorrow was a school day. Letting his hand drop to his side, he slowly inched it sideways until he curled his fingers around Keigo’s. 

The diva’s lips twitched up into something like a smile, as he squeezed Seiichi’s hand.

“Syuusuke’s rubbed off on you,” he drawled, that arrogant twang slipped into his tone. 

“I’m trying to be nice,” Seiichi snorted, squeezing back hard in retaliation.

“The Executive Committee held a vote about you today. Don’t give me that look - it went well. They let us sign a contract identical to Syuusuke’s.”

“Does it change anything?”

“Apparently,” Keigo snorted. “We can take you off the property now. You won’t find it very exciting, but Syuusuke’s been wanting to go out, so it means a lot for him.”

They walked off the path. They were drifting towards the cliff, Seiichi knew, because there was something about that place… about seeing everything below, glittering in the distance. Something to long for, combined with a sense of relief that they were hidden from it.

“I can’t tell you how hard it is,” Keigo breathed. “Knowing my bother’s a genius. Knowing he’s better and smarter than the kids I go to school with, and many adults... I’m not jealous, though there are days I wished things came as easily to me. I’m proud of him. I’m so fucking proud of him, more than he is of himself. I can’t brag about his accomplishments. Instead I brag that they’re my own. It doesn’t make me feel good. I hate it. I hate this. I’m not an only child. I know how to share. But I….”

The words tumbled out in a gush. Seiichi rubbed the back of Keigo’s hand, urging him to go on. 

“... I gave Syuusuke candy. When I was little, I shared my candy with him, that Dad brought back from his trips. I think Dad gave me so much, cause he knew I would share it, but candy is supposedly bad for nekomins - as if it’s better for regular humans - so he wouldn’t give it to Syuusuke directly. 

“This one time, Syuusuke was with me when Dad got home. One of his business partners was there… I don’t know if that made a difference. Dad gave me the candy, and I wasn’t thinking, it was licorice from Venice that I was so excited to try, and I handed some to Syuusuke right in front of him, then said thank you.

“Then Syuusuke _copied me_ and said thank you, too. 

“We were only five. Up until then, if Syuusuke talked in front of the adults, he’d get slapped or pinched or locked in a cage for about an hour. But that time… it was a lot worse. Dad and his business partner took Syuusuke into his office, and he made me go with them. He made me watch… both he and the partner… took turns, and forced Syuusuke to give them blow jobs. He didn’t even cry. Just endured it. 

“And that’s just… that’s just how he always is. He took the lesson for what it was, and never talked in front of Dad again. He’s so careful. But he didn’t stop talking to me. The next day he just whispered to me like normal, about little stupid things. I don’t even know if… if that was the first time that happened.”

Seiichi pulled him into a hug, trying to comfort them both. He felt a chill inside his gut, realizing how lucky he was, to have ten years outside of the Society’s grasp.

“If that’s what they do to children…” Keigo choked. “Well, you know what they do to teens. I visited you, once, during your… your training, or whatever they call it when they torture nekomins. I don’t think you knew I was there, but I saw what they did. It was… Dad wanted me to know. He wanted me to know what could happen to Syuusuke, if we’re not careful. And remind me that that’s not even the worst.” 

They sat for a while in the chilly night, before Seiichi decided he had to make Keigo get some sleep. He walked the diva back to the mansion, and then Keigo did something surprising, and showed him up to his room.

The billionaire’s room was as grand as expected. A king sized bed - or maybe it was a double king, Seiichi didn’t know what the sizes were after king - took up minimal space on the side, with an open door revealing a spacious bathroom to rival the one at the nekomins’ house. Four massive oak wardrobes lined one wall, side by side. Most of the room was taken over by two enormous rugs, each with unique designs. There was a long narrow night stand, but a decadent lamp shaped like a budding rose, but, as Seiichi turned around his head, he couldn’t help but notice how empty it all was.

There were no photos, and the two paintings of sunflowers and horses didn’t seem like anything personal. There was no desk or books, or shelves with anything on them. There was another room, also with its door open, and Seiichi could see bookshelves, so he figured Keigo had his own office. But everything felt so cold and impersonal.

It was obvious the Atobe heir didn’t spend any time here.

He helped Keigo change into pajamas, or at least tried. He got the feeling the diva didn’t want to go to bed, and was being intentionally difficult. He pinched him.

“Ouch!” Keigo cried, then looked utterly appalled. “How - how dare you! Why would you even think -”

“To get your attention,” Seiichi rolled his eyes. “Why are you such a drama queen?”

“I shouldn’t have thought I could talk to you,” Keigo rubbed his cheek, like it’d been mortally wounded. 

“I understand how you feel, and I’m just as upset as you,” Seiichi stated. “But you have a six hours of classes tomorrow, then two hours for your tennis club before and after school, plus an hour for riding classes, and a session with your tutor. I couldn’t believe you do so much. You need sleep, you’re completely worn out.”

“.... How do you know all that?” Keigo looked at him suspiciously.

“Because you tell Syuusuke what you do every single night over dinner, even if it’s the same thing you do every Friday.” Seiichi pushed Keigo towards the bathroom. “You need to brush your teeth. Or do servants do that for you, too?”

“... Don’t go anywhere,” Keigo snapped, before locked himself in the bathroom.

“Where am I going to go?” Seiichi mused, really talking to himself as he laid down on the giant bed. The sheets and pillows were perfectly arranged. A maid must come in every day, he realized, to tidy up the room. Nothing was out of place when they’d come in, but Keigo’d thrown his clothes on the floor with disregard. He really was a spoiled brat.

He came out after a few minutes, looking better and more awake. He stopped in front of the bed, and Seiichi realized Keigo was staring at him.

“What?” The nekomin frowned. “You told me to stay here, and I didn’t see any chairs.”

Keigo’s eyes were looking him up and down, moving slowly. Seiichi blushed, suddenly remembering how thin and revealing his white dress was, and started to sit up. But Keigo crawled onto the bed and pressed down on his shoulders.

“Stay?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

Seiichi opened and closed his mouth, trying to think of a reason. “You’re being a hypocrite.”

“I would never force myself on you, or anybody,” Keigo said in a low, serious tone. A shiver ran through Seiichi - a nice, warm one.

“You make all your relationships about sex, don’t you.”

“I’ve never had sex with anyone but Syuusuke.”

Pausing, Seiichi realized he didn’t have a retort. If not for the honesty swirling in the diva’s eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it. He couldn’t believe he and Syuusuke were the experienced ones.

“I don’t trust anyone outside of my family.”

“... Am I a part of your family now?”

“Please?”

Seiichi slowly closed his eyes, relaxing against the sheet as Keigo bent down over him, and kissed his neck. It felt so nice, the way the diva’s hands moved under his skirt, not just squeezing at his privates but massaging his thighs and sides, really touching him and making him feel good. He found himself touching back, something he’d never done, and Keigo had the nicest tone along his thighs, Seiichi thought, as he pulled off the pajama pants he’d just helped get on. Keigo helped slip off his dress, too, and brushed his tail with his palm in a way Seiichi had only ever done for himself.

Sighing contently, Seiichi lifted his knee up high and hooked his foot over Keigo’s shoulder, moaning when fingers pressed into his hole, covered in lube. Except for that first time, no one prepared him like this, and he was far more accustomed to sex now, and was enjoying this in a way he didn’t know he could. It felt so slow, almost teasing, the way Keigo added one more finger each time, and Seiichi mewled impatiently, pressing down so they’d slide in deeper.

Keigo curled his fingers against Seiichi’s g-spot.

“Ooo,” he moaned, then whimpered eagerly when the fingers pulled away. He opened his eyes, looking up at Keigo who was looking down at him, with lust filled eyes half covered by long, thick lashes. Without his usual haughty expression, Keigo had fine, delicate features, and from the starlight coming through the window, Seiichi thought he was beautiful.

Then Keigo pressed inside.

“Ooo, Ke…” Seiichi moaned, but Keigo stuck his fingers in the nekomin’s mouth, pressing down his tongue.

“No,” Keigo whimpered, voice trembling with pleasure as pushed his cock in even deeper. “No names. No words. Just feeling. All we have is our feelings.”

He rocked slowly outward, then pushed his way back in, at a perfect angle to hit Seiichi’s special spot again. 

He couldn’t get used to talking during sex, Seiichi knew. But he could enjoy it. It didn’t have to be torture. It didn’t have to be shameful. It felt so wonderful, having chosen this, being with someone he liked and found attractive and who liked him back. Keigo moved in and out with care, touching and kissing him all over.

“Oooh. Oooh. Ooh.” He wanted Keigo to go faster. He rocked his hips, meeting Keigo part way, and the diva got the hint and picked up the pace. He thrust faster and faster, till there was no time for kisses, they were hot and sweaty and needy and young, and they understood each other’s pain, and were attracted to each other, and they were beautiful and it felt so, so good and Seiichi threw back his head against the pillow - “Oh, oooo!”

His cum shot up onto Keigo’s chest, and his hips kept bouncing as he squirt out more and more. Keigo moaned and started spilling too, filling up Seiichi deep inside. Both orgasms were long and heavy, and then they collapsed, Keigo right on top of Seiichi, panting hard.

Seiichi finally pushed Keigo off, finding it hard to breath. They both lay on their backs, side by side.

“... That was… nice,” Seiichi exhaled, still feeling warm.

“Of course it was,” Keigo’s lips twitched into a smirk, then fell. “... I’m glad. I always worried that Syuusuke was faking it.”

Seiichi thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “I can see why you’d think that. But it really was nice. Do you think Syuusuke will mind that we…”

“He was the one who wanted me to invite you to join us in the first place,” Keigo huffed. “But yeah, I guess he’ll feel left out. I… hope so. I’m more afraid he won’t think anything of it.”

It was strange, hearing the diva’s insecurities. Seiichi wondered if he could understand. Keigo was supposed to have everything, anything he wanted in the world. But he couldn’t buy honesty. He couldn’t by skills. He couldn’t even buy Syuusuke’s freedom, no matter how much he loved him.

“I’ve never had someone I could talk to before. Not about all this.”

Smiling softly, Seiichi rolled onto his side, fingers stroking Keigo’s cheek. “I’m glad you talked to me. Now go to sleep.”

Nodding, the diva closed his eyes, and Seiichi didn’t think he lasted a full minute before his chest started to rise and fall.

Seiichi felt the wave of drowsiness hit him too, but managed to wrap the comforter up around them, before falling asleep too.

* * *

He woke up to a room filled with daylight, streaming in from huge windows and a series of skylights. His elbow crunched against a piece of paper, a handwritten note he realized.

_Going to have breakfast with Syuusuke. Will tell him where you are. Destroy note._

He was glad Keigo left him the note, but felt a twinge of bitterness at how guarded they had to be, even about this. Glancing around the room, he noticed a clock on the wall across from the bed, and realized it was already noon.

Keigo’s clothes were still on the floor, now joined by his pajamas, so the maid hadn’t come yet. Seiichi’s eyes widened as realized how lucky he was, that the maid hadn’t come in and seen the note. He went into the bathroom, tore it into little pieces and flushed it down the toilet.

The mansion was eerily quiet, he thought, as he peaked out the bedroom door. He was about to slip into the hallway when he saw a shadow fall on the carpet at the end, and drew back in his head, closing the door silently. He didn’t know if he was supposed to be there.

What if it was the maid? He looked at the bathroom, where a bath towel lay crumpled on the floor. No doubt she cleaned there every day. 

He dove into the office. Luckily it had a lock, unlike the bedroom door. Still, he hoped she wouldn’t try to open it. 

Like every other room, the office was bigger than it needed to be, but it was still the smallest room he’d seen in the mansion. A mahogany desk sat against the wall, with bookshelves behind it and running around the opposing wall. A large window looked out into the garden and forest, which was quite a view being on the third story. 

The only chair was behind the desk, so Seiichi sat down on it, wondering if he could hide underneath it. No, he decided, if the maid did have a key and come in, then she’d notice him while cleaning. He’d probably be better off caught at that point. Keigo could make up a story - maybe that he’d locked Seiichi in the office as punishment, or something. 

Sighing, Seiichi thought he was probably overthinking it. The maid would probably have ignored him, as all the servants did whenever he passed them, even the ones who came with food. 

At least the office was nice, he thought, as he tilted back in the comfortable desk chair. The room was tidy, the only thing on the desk a thick manilla folder, and he would have ignored it if the sticker label at the top didn’t catch his eye.

**SEIICHI**

His eyes widened as he realized it was a file about him.

He didn’t care if it was alright to open it, he decided, as he flipped open the folder. If it was about him, then he had the right to look at it.

The top pages were paper clipped together. Small print covered each page from top to bottom. Skimming it, he realized it was a contract, probably the one Keigo mentioned. The signatory on the back was Kenichi, and he didn’t recognize the other name, but at the bottom was a stamp for legal approval, signed by Mitsuya Akuto.

There were more papers in the file. He set aside the contract. Underneath was a form, with a photo of himself clipped on. It looked like they’d taken it during his training. Though it only showed him from the shoulders up, those shoulder were bare, and that dreaded collar was around his neck. The photo didn’t show it, but he could tell it was bolted to the wall.

He didn’t remember them taking it. His eyes were half-lidded, and he looked dazed.

He supposed it didn’t matter if he remembered. He looked over the form, but there were so many acronyms and kanji he didn’t know, he could hardly read it. He recognized two dates, though, near the top - one was his birth date, the other was the date Saori had found him. Next to the second date, an “E” was printed.

He set aside the form, and suddenly stood up from his chair, gasping at what he saw.

Another form was there, but with a different photo. A black haired, black eared nekomin stared hard at the camera. His chiseled face and shoulders showed a powerful, well toned build. Like Seiichi, he looked like he’d been naked, but he didn’t have a collar.

_It’s him,_ Seiichi thought, covering his mouth in shock. _It’s… it’s my dad._

The date in the second box was the same as his, with the “E” printed next to it.

With shaking hands, he put aside the form. The form underneath it was for a different nekomin - clearly a woman, with delicate, round features. Her hair and ears were an unnaturally light blue, the same color as Syuusuke’s eyes. Tears formed in Seiichi’s eyes as he realized he was looking at his birth mother. He didn’t remember her at all.

He had a flash, of a huge fist, coming towards his face. Of a woman crying somewhere in the room. Of someone kicking him, and slapping his butt and thighs. 

He backed up into the bookshelf, making it rock. A book fell and hit him, and he remembered being hit on the head, his ear aching, and then… and then someone tackling his attacker. His father. He knew it was his father.

And then there was the running again, the dream he’d always had, but he remembered more now. He remembered the pain of being beaten.

He ran out of the office. He couldn’t stay here. He had to run, to get away.

The maid wasn’t in the room. He ran into the hallway. Whoever had been there earlier was gone. He tore through the mansion, somehow finding his way out, though he ended up passing servants who ignored him. 

It was only when he reached the trees that he stopped. He broke down panting, falling onto his knees.

_They knew,_ his mind wailed, _Keigo knew. About your parents. He didn’t tell you. Why wouldn’t he tell you?!_

Keigo’d said he read Seiichi’s file. The Society knew everything, even more than Seiichi knew about himself. 

_Did he think you wouldn’t care? That it wouldn’t be important?!_

He shouldn’t blame Keigo. He never asked to see the file. He never asked any questions, not for all the weeks he’d been there.

_But Keigo knows the value of family. He should have shown it to you anyway. There’s something he doesn’t want you to know._

Why did Keigo lie to Syuusuke? Why not tell the brunette that the books weren’t really hand me downs?

_They’re lying to you. They’re both lying to you, just like they lie to each other._

Did it matter that they were liars?

_You can’t trust them._

Even if they made his daily life comfortable, he was still a prisoner here. He was still at Kenichi’s beck and call - to be raped and tortured. He still had to stay silent, and pretend he was an animal, like he couldn’t read, flushing harmless little notes down the toilet. 

He glanced around the woods. 

_No one stopped me getting here. . . .I. . ._

He could leave. He could escape, right now. Syuusuke thought he was still in Keigo’s room - no, it was Friday, Syuusuke would be off doing his secret thing, he wouldn’t know whether or not Seiichi had come back. The mansion was so quiet. Neither master nor the master’s son was in.

He walked off the path and into the trees. It took him longer than he thought it would, to find the cliff. He looked down the slope, wondering if he could memorize a path among the trees.

The trees were dense and stretched for miles.

He wasn’t sure he could get down the slope, either, without slipping. He was strong and athletic, though, so he knew he could do it if he was determined enough. 

But then what? 

If he went home, they would find him right away. What about the city? They knew Tokyo better than him. And if someone posted his picture on their blog, he’d be found.

He had to go to another small town, he realized. One like the one he’d grown up in, where he’d be isolated and hidden. He could continue his life, like a normal human being. Maybe he couldn’t go to school, but he’d be happy just working in a shop at this point. Or maybe a manufacturing plant. That sounded safe, and stable. Out of the public eye.

He looked back down at the trees, and felt very small.

He had no money. No way to take the train. He needed to go back to the house to change. Better, he needed to go to Keigo’s room, so he could steal normal clothes. He was afraid, if he didn’t leave now, he’d lose the courage to run away. 

It was getting dark. He’d sat out there thinking for much longer than he realized, and the days were short as winter grew close. He doubted he could make it down the mountain in the dark. He had to go now.

He went back towards the path. The mountain was less steep, he had seen, if he went down from the other end. 

He couldn’t find it. Everywhere he looked was just trees and more trees. He’d been going up straight, but he realized the cliff had been off to the side from a curve in the path.

He wondered if he had passed it. Dread sank through his stomach. If he couldn’t even find the path, how would he make it to the bottom of the mountain?

He was such an idiot. He couldn’t find his way through the woods. He’d never been to Tokyo, he wouldn’t know where to go once he got there. He didn’t have any money or a disguise. He had no idea if there was another town, like his, that would accept him and also hide him. 

There was no way this was going to work.

He slid down against a tree, his hunger hitting him full force. He wondered if he could at least make it back to the cliff. He’d probably just get more lost, he mused. He knew he couldn’t be that far from the path. They’d find him quickly once they looked.

He curled up his legs, hugging his knees to his chest as his tail tightened unbidden around his thighs, and waited.

* * *

“Seiichi!”

He jumped up at the yell, recognizing Syuusuke’s voice. It was completely dark now, and he couldn’t see anything past a few trees.

“I’m here!” He shouted, and heard the sound of rustling leaves and branches, then finally saw the beam of a flash light. He waved at it, and it quickly grew closer.

“Seiichi!” Syuusuke sobbed, bursting through the trees and almost knocking him over with a hug.

Seiichi felt his head lighten, between the hunger and the guilt of making the nekomin worry.

They would have searched for him all night, he realized, if he had run away.

An even brighter light moved towards them, lighting up the whole area. Someone stepped out holding a lantern, but it wasn’t Keigo. A tall man with messy brown hair and rimless glasses stepped towards them, with the most serious expression on his face.

“Keigo- …” - hic - “....thinks…” - sniff - “you ran away,” Syuusuke hiccuped, hugging him so tight he couldn’t breath. “But I told him” -sniff- “you were just lost. I was right,” he looked back at the man with the lantern, who nodded at him.

“Syuusuke!” called another voice, and this one Seiichi knew was the diva’s. More crashing came through the woods, and Keigo appeared breathing hard, with another lantern. He set it on the ground the moment he saw Seiichi, and marched over, ripping the bluenette out of Syuusuke’s grasp. 

“What were you thinking?!” Keigo screamed, shaking Seiichi by the arm. The nekomin winced, guilt quadrupling at the worry filled yell. 

“Do you have any idea…” The diva panted, calming his voice into an angry hiss. “Do you want to end up like your father?!”

“... My father?” Seiichi’s voice was small, but the fur on his ears straightened at hearing that tone. “What… what do you mean? Do you know where he is?!”

“... You….” Keigo paused, voice going cold. “Didn’t read the papers….?”

“I…” He’d left them scattered in Keigo’s office. Of course the diva knew he’d seen them. And then figured out Seiichi tried to run away, which he actually had. “They were difficult to read…”

Keigo placed his hands on Seiichi’s shoulders, making him face him. The anger disappeared from his face, replaced with something cold.

“He was euthanized. For extensive disobedience.”

“Wha.. what…” 

Keigo’s voice was so cold. 

“According to the records, you were euthanized, too. But the former staff were interviewed - that night, when you and your father escaped, they were only able to track down your father. They didn’t want to get in trouble with the Society, so they lied and said they caught you both.”

“What do you mean… by euthanized…”

“It’s the term used for putting down animals. It means they murdered him.”

Seiichi was sure he misunderstood. He must have fallen asleep against the tree, and was dreaming. 

Keigo’s eyes were so serious. He wasn’t smiling or frowning, or making any expression at all. 

The world began to spin, making him dizzy. He felt sick. He felt more than sick. 

He pushed Keigo away and grabbed the nearest bush, bending over it to puke. Since he hadn’t eaten for almost a day, all he threw up was stomach acid. 

“I told you it could get worse,” Keigo continued, not moving from where he stood. “This is what I meant. It’s in every nekomin’s contract. If the Society feels the contract has been violated, they have the right to repossess the nekomin, and if they want, euthanize it.”

Seiichi heaved, but he had nothing left to throw up. 

“The vote yesterday had three options. We got the one we wanted, which was the full contract. The second was for continued observation, with a revote in six months. The third was for euthanasia.”

Seiichi collapsed, tears stinging his eyes, and his head began to pound.

“The vote is anonymous. Two voted for euthanasia. Seiichi, I know what’s been done to you is horrible. But we’re trying to save your life.”

Two small hands cupped his face, and Syuusuke gave him a weak smile, before drawing him into a hug. The brunette stroked his back, all the way down to his tail, making calming noises.

Seiichi went from cold to hot, as all of Keigo’s words sank in.

They could kill him. They had a piece of paper, that said they could kill him. That they had the right to, even, whenever they felt like it. Whenever they voted on it.

“If you run away…” Keigo took a deep breath, his voice cracking. “If they catch you, they won’t put you through a second round of training. Your mere existence is a risk. If that perverted bastard Baker hadn’t wanted you for himself, he would have had you taken straight to a breeders, for euthanasia.” He reached out, stroking Seiichi’s ears pressed flat against his head. “You might not like to hear it, but you’re alive because you’re pretty.”

“Seiichi, it’s okay,” Syuusuke cooed, nuzzling his cheek against his fellow nekomin’s. “Everyone is going to protect us. And I’m going to teach you to pretend, so you can protect yourself.”

Tears spilled down his cheeks, in hot, stinging waves. It just too much. Remembering being beaten. Learning his dad had died to save him. Learning that he had almost died, multiple times, and knowing he still had a gun to his head.

“I’ll carry him back,” said the tall, bespectacled man. He bent down, and Syuusuke pushed Seiichi to get onto his back.

“Thank you, Tezuka,” said Keigo, taking the man’s lantern as well as picking up his own.

“I’m glad Syuusuke came to me for help,” the man, Tezuka, nodded.

“You don’t have to lie for him,” Keigo snorted, shaking the lanterns. “I know about your Friday rendezvous.”

Syuusuke’s ears pressed flat against his head, and he looked down.

“... I’m surprised you came to find me yourself,” Seiichi joked meekly, hoping to change the subject, knowing he owed Syuusuke big time. “I expected a hundred servants to come out combing the woods.”

“I know the forest better,” said Tezuka. He had a flat, emotionless voice, but Seiichi thought that was just the way he talked. “If you had run away, we wanted to find you without anyone finding out.”

He pressed his head against Tezuka’s trench coat, not knowing how he could feel even more guilty. He thought of all the things they’d done for him - outbidding Baker in the auction. Giving him a safe place to speak and be himself. Making sure he didn’t get himself in trouble.

“. . . I’m sorry,” he croaked, his voice completely hoarse. “I should have talk to you about the papers. I really did try to run away. I’m sorry…. I’m sorry... I’m sorry....”

They walked silently after that, until they got back to the road. Seiichi asked to be let down, saying he could walk on his own.

“If you ever need a place to go, my family owns the other side of the hill,” said Tezuka. “Sometimes, a change of scenery will bring you calm. The safe places for you are few, but I promise you, my family’s property is one of them.”

“I’ll teach you where to go,” Syuusuke whispered. “How to get through the woods.”

Tezuka took one of the lanterns, and with a simple nod, stepped off the path into the trees. The light turned off a few minutes later, but the sound of crunching leaves faded into the woods.

The three of them continued to the house, with Syuusuke holding one of his hands, and Keigo holding the other. They didn’t seem mad at him now. Somehow he knew, they were all just sad.

_A contract identical to Syuusuke’s_ , Keigo had said. Meaning Syuusuke’s had the same clause about euthanasia.

“I’ll protect you too,” Seiichi whispered, as they tucked away for the night. All three of them squeezed together on the queen sized bed.

Syuusuke smiled, then closed his eyes, his breathing slowing as he fell asleep.

“I’m counting on it,” he heard Keigo whisper, and then he fell asleep too.


End file.
